Advances in the evaluation of hepatic function by magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Abstract:

Quantitative assessment of liver function reserve is crucial for preoperative evaluation of patients with liver diseases. The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for quantitative assessment of liver function reserve has been limited by technical challenges for a long time; recently, MRI has developed and improved in various aspects, such as imaging methods, contrast agents, quantitative parameters, etc., leading to new techniques and applications for liver function quantification. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) can measure the biomechanical properties of liver tissue, and provide information on liver microstructure and function based on parameters such as vibration wave propagation speed in the liver; hepatobiliary-specific contrast-enhanced MRI can visualize the hepatocyte uptake and biliary excretion of contrast agent, thus revealing the functional distribution of the liver; T1ρ and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can capture the local microenvironment features such as macromolecular components and water diffusion, and quantify liver function using these characteristics. Moreover, the latest technological advances such as three-dimensional shear wave elastography (3D-SWE) and hepatobiliary-specific contrast-enhanced MRI combined with T1 mapping quantification have further enhanced the performance of these examinations in liver function quantification. Compared with the commonly used clinical methods for liver function assessment, such as biochemical indicators, Child-Pugh score and indocyanine green test, the advantage of imaging techniques is that they can offer spatial distribution information of liver function reserve that is not available from clinical methods, providing new tools for preoperative evaluation of liver function reserve. This is expected to bridge the gap of current clinical examinations, assist in preoperative planning of liver surgery, and has promising development prospects.

Key words:Liver function reserve,Magnetic resonance imaging,Elastography,Hepatobiliary cell specific contrast agent

CLC Number:

R445.2
R575

CHEN Qian, LIN Huimin, YAN Fuhua. Advances in the evaluation of hepatic function by magnetic resonance imaging[J]. Journal of Diagnostics Concepts & Practice, 2023, 22(02): 190-196.

Figures/Tables1

References50

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