Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is an MRI of the bile ducts, the gallbladder and the pancreatic duct. The scanner is tuned so that fluid in the ducts looks bright and the tissue around it turns dark. The result is a clear map of the biliary system. No contrast, no endoscope, no radiation. At Oberig Clinic, the Diagnostic Department performs MRCP on Siemens 1.5 and 3 Tesla scanners, and radiologists write the report.
What MRCP shows
The radiologist sees the gallbladder, the small channels inside the liver, the common bile duct and the main pancreatic duct. They check how wide the ducts are, their shape, any narrowing or widening and anything that blocks bile flow.
MRCP finds gallstones, choledocholithiasis (stones lodged lower down the biliary tree), choledochal cysts, inborn anomalies, primary sclerosing cholangitis, bile duct tumors (cholangiocarcinoma), chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic growths. A stone looks like a dark hole in bright fluid. You can see it even in the lower duct, where gas in the bowel often hides it from ultrasound.
The method is great for anatomy. It maps the plumbing. Tiny stones under 2-3 mm and changes in the duct lining can slip through. Then your doctor adds other tests.
MRCP is useful for the pancreas too. It shows widening in chronic pancreatitis, cysts linked to the main channel and a common inborn variant where the duct is split in two (pancreas divisum). This variant sometimes explains repeated bouts of pancreatitis in young people.
When doctors order MRCP
Most often, ultrasound has found something but has not given the full answer. For example, there are stones in the gallbladder and the duct looks wide, and your doctor needs to know whether a stone is stuck further down. Typical reasons: widened ducts on ultrasound, jaundice, pain under the right ribs after fatty food, raised bilirubin, GGT or alkaline phosphatase. Doctors also order MRCP in acute and chronic pancreatitis to find the cause, and after gallbladder removal if the pain comes back.
Another group: people before liver, bile duct or pancreas surgery, liver transplant candidates and patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis who need regular checks. A gastroenterologist or surgeon usually gives the referral. No referral yet? Start with a gastroenterology consultation. The doctor will look at your symptoms, blood tests and ultrasound and decide if you need MRCP.
MRCP and other tests
The first step is usually an abdominal ultrasound. It is fast, affordable and good at spotting gallbladder stones. But it often misses the lower part of the common bile duct. That is where MRCP helps.
ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is invasive. A doctor passes an endoscope through your mouth into the duodenum and injects contrast into the ducts. During ERCP the doctor can remove a stone or place a stent on the spot, but there is a risk of pancreatitis. The modern approach is simple. MRCP comes first and answers the question of what is wrong, and ERCP is kept for the moment when the team already knows exactly which stone to remove or which narrowing to stent.
Need a look at the liver, pancreas and other organs as well? Then you get an abdominal MRI with MRCP in one 3 Tesla session.
How to prepare
Good preparation means sharp images. A full stomach and bowel gas hide the ducts. The rules here are stricter than for a head or joint MRI.
- Have a light dinner by 7 pm the day before. Skip fatty and fried food, beans, cabbage, rye bread and fizzy drinks for 24 hours.
- No food or drink for 3-4 hours before the scan. No coffee or cigarettes on the day.
- Take your regular medicines with a sip of water after checking with your doctor. With bloating, the doctor may suggest enzymes or an antispasmodic.
- Bring two bananas. The radiographer will ask you to eat them at a set moment to dim the fluid signal in your stomach.
- Bring your referral and past ultrasound, CT or MRI results. Tell the doctor if you have ascites (fluid in the belly).
- Tell us about metal implants, clips or braces. We cannot scan you with a pacemaker. Have the metal wire of your braces removed in advance.
What happens during the scan
You take off jewelry, your watch and anything metal, then lie on your back. A coil goes on your belly to pick up the signal. The scanner takes most series while you breathe calmly. For a few, the radiographer asks you to hold your breath for 15-20 seconds. The machine is loud. You get headphones, and many people simply close their eyes and count the knocks until the radiographer tells them over the intercom that the last series is done.
MRCP on its own takes about 15-30 minutes. Add a liver and abdominal MRI, and it grows to 40-50 minutes. It does not hurt. If you feel anxious, you hold a call button, and the radiographer hears you the whole time. Afterwards you can eat right away and get back to your day.
Feel cramped in tight spaces? The Magnetom Vida 3 Tesla has a wider bore than standard scanners and takes patients up to 200 kg. The Magnetom Sempra 1.5 Tesla runs Quiet Suite technology that makes scans up to 97% quieter.
Is contrast needed?
MRCP itself needs no contrast. The ducts show up thanks to the bile already inside them. This is handy for people with contrast allergies or kidney disease. No IV line, no limits after the scan and no creatinine test in advance.
Doctors add a gadolinium contrast agent when they suspect a tumor of the liver, pancreas or ducts and need to see how a lesion takes up the agent. Then you get a contrast abdominal MRI, and MRCP becomes part of it. For liver lesions there is a separate protocol with the liver-specific agent Primovist.
Reading the report
The report covers the size and wall of the gallbladder, any stones, the width of the ducts at different levels, their course and any narrowing, and the main pancreatic duct. It also notes anatomical variants, such as a low insertion of the cystic duct or a split pancreatic duct. Surgeons need these details before an operation.
Width alone is not a diagnosis. It is one number among many, and a radiologist always reads it in context with your age, past surgery, symptoms and liver blood tests before calling anything abnormal. The common bile duct widens a little with age. After gallbladder removal it is often wider than before, and that can be normal. The figures below are a rough guide. Your doctor reads them together with your blood tests and symptoms.
| What is measured | Typical adult range |
|---|
| Common bile duct | up to 6-7 mm |
| Common bile duct after gallbladder removal | up to 8-10 mm |
| Bile ducts inside the liver | up to 2-3 mm, smooth course |
| Main pancreatic duct | up to 3 mm in the head |
| Gallbladder wall | up to 3 mm |
Found a stone, a narrowing or a growth? Your next step is a gastroenterologist or surgeon. Often the treatment plan can be made from the MRCP alone, with no extra tests.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have MRCP during pregnancy?
Without contrast, MRI is considered safer than CT because there is no radiation. In the first trimester the scan is usually postponed. Later it is done only for strict reasons. Your doctor and the radiologist decide together.
Can MRCP find stones after gallbladder removal?
Yes. After cholecystectomy a stone can stay behind in the common bile duct or form again. MRCP shows it and the width of the duct.
Why bring bananas?
Bananas contain substances that dim the bright fluid signal in the stomach. The stomach and bowel stop glowing on the images. The ducts become easier to see.
What if I ate before the scan?
Tell the radiographer. After a meal the gallbladder contracts and the ducts are harder to see. We may move your scan to another time.
Do children have MRCP?
Yes, for example with a bile duct cyst, jaundice or a suspected duct anomaly. A child needs to lie still for half an hour. Small children sometimes need sedation. Discuss this with the doctor and the anesthesiologist in advance.
When will I get the report?
Within 24 hours, except weekends and public holidays. You can get it on the day of the scan if you arrange this with the doctor in advance.
How is MRCP different from a regular MRI?
It is the same MRI with extra series tuned to the fluid in the ducts. A standard abdominal MRI shows the ducts less clearly.
MRCP price at Oberig Clinic
The price depends on the scanner strength and on whether the liver and other organs are scanned at the same time. Most people choose MRCP on 1.5 Tesla. When maximum detail or a liver MRI in the same session is needed, the scan is done on 3 Tesla.
| Test (MRI) | Price |
|---|
| MR cholangiography 1.5 Tesla | UAH 4,875 |
| MR cholangiography 3 Tesla | UAH 5,270 |
| MR cholangiography (pre-transplant workup) 1.5 Tesla | UAH 4,585 |
| Abdomen (liver) with MR cholangiography 3 Tesla | UAH 7,465 |
| Contrast enhancement | UAH 2,745 |
| Gastroenterology consultation | UAH 1,670 |
Prices are from the clinic price list as of 02.10.2026 and may change. Please check the current cost with our contact center.
Why choose Oberig Clinic
- Two Siemens scanners: Magnetom Vida 3 Tesla with a wider bore and Magnetom Sempra 1.5 Tesla with a quiet mode. The Diagnostic Department is a Siemens reference center, and the software updates online.
- Radiologists read the scans: Taras Matsiievskyi, head of the department, Iryna Mykytenko, deputy head, and Oleksandr Lysenko, a top-category radiologist.
- Reports within 24 hours under American College of Radiology protocols. A second opinion on scans from other hospitals is available.
- A gastroenterology center, a liver and pancreas surgery center, endoscopy and a lab under one roof. After MRCP you can move straight on to treatment.
Address: Kyiv, 3 Zoolohichna St., buildings G and V. Book online at https://my.oberig.ua/ua/appointment/ or call +38 044 521 30 03.
