Objective To explore the value of 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) multi-phase enhanced scan in the evaluation of preoperative diagnosis and surgical resectability of pancreatic cancer. Methods The clinical data of 41 patients with pancreatic cancer confirmed by surgical pathology from February 2017 to February 2018 were collected. All patients were given 3.0T MRI plain scan and multi-phase enhanced scan within 2 weeks before operation. The MRI signs were analyzed retrospectively, and the surgical resectability was evaluated according to the lesion condition, local invasion, metastasis and vascular involvement. Results There were 31 cases of pancreatic masses found by routine MRI scan, and 37 cases of pancreatic masses revealed by dynamic enhanced scan, and there was no significant difference in the detection rate between the two methods (χ2 =3.101, P>0.05), but it was obvious higher than that of normal enhanced tissues, and it could improve the detection rate of tumors to a certain extent. The diagnostic accuracy and the misdiagnosis rate of MRI were 87.80% and 12.20%. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of LAVA dynamic enhanced MRI in assessment of surgical resectability were 81.82%, 93.33% and 90.24%, and the Kappa value was 0.752, and preoperative assessment of MRI was consistent with the surgical outcomes. Conclusion Preoperative 3.0T MRI multi-phase enhanced scan for patients with pancreatic cancer can not only increase the detection rate of tumor lesions and metastases, but also accurately assess peripancreatic invasion and peripancreatic vascular involvement, and it can effectively evaluate the surgical resectability, and it provides important references for the establishment of clinical treatment regimens.