Polyethylene glycol solution as an oral contrast agent for small bowel MRI

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate an oral iso-osmotic polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution as an oral contrast agent for MR imaging of the small bowel. Methods and materials: 19 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (m/f 1:2.8, mean age 43) underwent abdominal MRI examination after drinking 0.6–1.5 liters (mean: 1.1 liters) of PEG solution in a period of 30–60 minutes (mean: 40min). The examinations were performed on a 1T scanner. Coronal and axial T1-weighted gradient-echo and T2-weighted single-shot fast spin-echo sequences were used after the administration of i.v. smooth muscle relaxant. I.v…