Clinical MRI examinations of the abdomen and pelvis contain challenges unique to the body, such as breathing motion and bowel peristalsis, that are not present for MRI of other organs such as the brain and extremities. In this session, we will review choices available to diagnostic radiologists in MR hardware, patient preparation, and patient monitoring that can potentially affect image quality. We will work through two specific protocols: prostate MRI and MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), to illustrate the potential impact of some of these choices on patient care.When purchasing a new MRI, departments often decide between 1.5T or 3.0T strength scanners for clinical imaging. What are the benefits and drawbacks of one versus the other? The strength of the static magnetic field is well known for its potential to improve signal to noise ratio (SNR) by up to a factor of 2, but does it really matter in body imaging? We will review the potential advantages of 3.0T versus 1.5T MR scanners in SNR and contrast to noise ratio, but also review some potential drawbacks, such as the impact on chemical shift (in and out of phase) imaging and susceptibility effects (iron quantification). The impact of choosing 3.0T MRI on patient safety will also be addressed, with respect to specific absorption rate (SAR) and MR conditional implant. For prostate imaging, we will review the literature surrounding the use of endorectal versus other receiver coils.Does it really matter what you do for your patient before they come to MRI and before you start scanning? Shoud they fast or receive anti-peristaltic agents? In body imaging, bowel peristalsis may be itself the subject of investigation in MR enterography, but more often than not, it causes motion artifacts that limit the visualization of abdominal organs of interest. We will review several available anti-spasmodic agents (buscopan, glucagon) and their impact on image quality. We will also review other choices in patient preparation, such as negative oral contrast agents for MRCP.Once the patient is in the scanner, is your MR technologist on auto-pilot, or does she or he have to decide between different protocol parameters that are best suited for your patient? Many abdominal MRI sequences vary tremendously in length depending on the use of breath-hold versus respiratory or navigator triggering. We will review certain principles behind triggering techniques that aim to limit the impact of respiratory motion.