Added Value of Diffusion-weighted Imaging (DWI) in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Liver and Pancreatobiliary System: Literature Review and Personal Experience.

Pur pose: To review the main contribute of adding DWI in routine MRI examinations of the liver, biliary tree and pancreas. Content organization: 1. General concepts on DWI 2. Technical aspects - B-values set: how many b? How much intense? - How to calculate Apparent Diffusion Coefficients - Further issues 3. Why DWI is useful in abdominal imaging? - Liver \u2022 Diffuse disease \u2022 Focal lesions - Biliary tree - Pancreas - General considerations - Special considerations Summary: DWI is increasingly used as an adjunctive tool in routine clinical MRI of the upper abdomen. Based on literature review and personal experience, the paper illustrates the advantages provided by DWI in common clinical diagnoses, and diagnostic pitfalls, in the setting of liver and pancreaticobiliary diseases