Secretin causes temporary dilatation of pancreatic ducts, principally by increasing pancreatic exocrine secretions, and thus allows better visualization of the ducts at magnetic resonance (MR) cholangiopancreatography. Secretin-enhanced MR cholangiopancreatography is useful for detection and diagnosis of a variety of congenital, inflammatory, and neoplastic conditions of the pancreas. Although MR cholangiopancreatography without secretin is a reliable method for evaluating the pancreatobiliary ductal system, the authors believe that secretin-enhanced MR cholangiopancreatography gives additional valuable functional and anatomic information about the pancreatic duct and pancreatic excretory capacity.
Copyright RSNA, 2006.