Abstract: Objective To evaluate the accuracy of MRI diagnosis and its clinical value with multi-MR imaging techniques. Methods Clinical , pathologic and MRI findings were retrospectively reviewed in 25 cases with chronic pancreatitis. The MRI manifestations included pancreatic morphology and volume changes, signal features, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and MRCP. The MRI techniques included: both before and after Gd-DTPA enhancement FS FLASH T1WI, FLASH TIWI, HASTE T2WI and MRCP. Results The characteristic signs in diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis included: diffuse enlargement of the body ;hypointense on T1WI FS ; dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI ,the lesion and normal area always enhanced at the same time; pancreatic duct dilated like a string of beads which passed through the lesion, which were shown by MRCP. Conclusion MRI can detect chronic pancreatitis earlier than CT ,as well as it can display pancreatic duct and pseudo-cysts , it is of great value in diagnosing chronic pancreatitis.

Key words: chronic pancreatitis, MRI, imaging technique