Multidetector-row Computed Tomography with Three-dimensional Volume Rendering of Pancreatic Cancer: a Complete Preoperative Staging Tool Using Computed Tomography Angiography and Volume-rendered Cholangiopancreatography

Volume rendering, a postprocessing computer algorithm that creates three-dimensional (3D) displays from computed tomography (CT) datasets, can create 3D cholangiographic images (volume-rendered cholangiopancreatography, or VRCP) from intravenous contrast-enhanced abdominal CT datasets without the use of a biliary contrast agent. This article illustrates the utility of VRCP in the setting of biliary obstruction due to pancreatic cancer. The 3D renderings of the intra- and extrahepatic biliary tree provide valuable information for planning biliary drainage, including the location and length of the obstruction as well as the relationship of intrahepatic ducts to liver metastases.