Abstract: Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical efficacy of dynamic magnetic resonance contrast-enhanced imaging (DCE-MRI), diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in the diagnosis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CC). Methods 64 patients with suspected extrahepatic CC were encountered in our hospital between March 2019 and March 2022, and the histopathological diagnosis was made as the gold standard based on biopsies or post-operational examination. All patients underwent DCE-MRI, DWI scan and MRCP. The consistency of DCE-MRI, DWI, MRCP diagnosis and pathological diagnosis were compared by Kappa tests. Results The histopathological diagnosis showed that among the 64 patients with suspected extrahepatic CC, the final diagnosis of extrahepatic CC was found in 45 cases; the DCE-MRI diagnosis found extrahepatic CC in 46 cases, with 41 positive cases and 14 negative cases consistent with pathological diagnosis(Kappa=0.658, P<0.05); the DWI diagnosis detected 45 cases of extrahepatic CC, with 38 positive cases and 12 negative cases consistent with pathological diagnosis (Kappa=0.476, P<0.05); the MRCP diagnosis determined 44 cases of extrahepatic CC, with 40 positive cases and 15 negative cases consistent with pathological diagnosis (Kappa=0.668, P<0.05); the combined DCE-MRI, DWI and MRCP diagnosis found 45 cases of extrahepatic CC, with 43 positive and 17 negative cases consistent with the pathological diagnosis (Kappa=0.850, P<0.05); the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the combined DCE-MRI, DWI and MRCP diagnosis were 95.6%, 89.5% and 93.8%, respectively, much superior to those by anyone of the MRI detection alone. Conclusion The combination of DCE-MRI, DWI, and MRCP scan for the diagnosis of extrahepatic CC is efficacious, which could provide an reliable clue for clinical management.

Key words: Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, Magnetic resonance dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, Diffusion-weighted imaging, Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, Diagnosis