Summary
MR imaging plays an increasingly important role in the evaluation of patients with chronic liver disease, due to its high contrast resolution, lack of ionizing radiation, and the possibility of performing functional imaging. With advances in MR imaging hardware and coil systems, DW-MRI can now be applied to liver imaging applications with good image quality. In this chapter, we will review available DW-MRI data for the diagnosis and quantifi-cation of liver fibrosis, and for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma. We will also discuss limitations and future directions of DW-MRI for the assessment of patients with chronic liver disease.
Keywords
- Apparent Diffusion Coefficient
- Chronic Liver Disease
- Liver Fibrosis
- Fibrosis Stage
- Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Measurement
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alter MJ, Kruszon-Moran D, Nainan OV et al (1999) The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in the United States, 1988 through 1994. N Engl J Med 341: 556–562
Amano Y, Kumazaki T, Ishihara M (1998) Single-shot diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging of normal and cirrhotic livers using a phased-array multicoil. Acta Radiol 39: 440–442
Annet L, Materne R, Danse E et al (2003) Hepatic flow parameters measured with MR imaging and Doppler US: correlations with degree of cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Radiology 229: 409–414
Annet L, Peeters F, Abarca-Quinones J et al (2007) Assessment of diffusion-weighted MR imaging in liver fibrosis. J Magn Reson Imaging 25: 122–128
Aube C, Racineux PX, Lebigot J et al (2004) [Diagnosis and quantification of hepatic fibrosis with diffusion weighted MR imaging: preliminary results]. J Radiol 85: 301–306
Awaya H, Mitchell DG, Kamishima T et al (2002) Cirrhosis: modified caudate-right lobe ratio. Radiology 224: 769–774
Batts KP, Ludwig J (1995) Chronic hepatitis. An update on terminology and reporting. Am J Surg Pathol 19: 1409–1417
Bedossa P, Dargere D, Paradis V (2003) Sampling variability of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 38: 1449–1457
Bedossa P, Poynard T (1996) An algorithm for the grading of activity in chronic hepatitis C. The METAVIR Cooperative Study Group. Hepatology 24: 289–293
Boulanger Y, Amara M, Lepanto L et al (2003) Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the liver of hepatitis C patients. NMR Biomed 16: 132–136
Bruegel M, Holzapfel K, Gaa J et al (2008) Characterization of focal liver lesions by ADC measurements using a respiratory triggered diffusion-weighted single-shot echo-planar MR imaging technique. Eur Radiol 18: 477–485
Burdette JH, Elster AD, Ricci PE (1999) Acute cerebral infarction: quantification of spin-density and T2 shine-through phenomena on diffusion-weighted MR images. Radiology 212: 333–339
Buti M, San Miguel R, Brosa M et al (2005) Estimating the impact of hepatitis C virus therapy on future liver-related morbidity, mortality and costs related to chronic hepatitis C. J Hepatol 42: 639–645
Cadranel JF, Rufat P, Degos F (2000) Practices of liver biopsy in France: results of a prospective nationwide survey. For the Group of Epidemiology of the French Association for the Study of the Liver (AFEF). Hepatology 32: 477–481
Castera L, Vergniol J, Foucher J et al (2005) Prospective comparison of transient elastography, Fibrotest, APRI, and liver biopsy for the assessment of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C. Gastroenterology 128: 343–350
Davis GL, Albright JE, Cook SF et al (2003) Projecting future complications of chronic hepatitis C in the United States. Liver Transpl 9: 331–338
Deuffic-Burban S, Poynard T, Sulkowski MS et al (2007) Estimating the future health burden of chronic hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus infections in the United States. J Viral Hepat 14: 107–115
Fried MW, Shiffman ML, Reddy KR et al (2002) Peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C virus infection. N Engl J Med 347: 975–982
Froehlich F, Lamy O, Fried M et al (1993) Practice and complications of liver biopsy. Results of a nationwide survey in Switzerland. Dig Dis Sci 38: 1480–1484
Girometti R, Furlan A, Bazzocchi M et al (2007) Diffusion-weighted MRI in evaluating liver fibrosis: a feasibility study in cirrhotic patients. Radiol Med (Torino) 112: 394–408
Hadziyannis SJ, Sette H Jr, Morgan TR et al (2004) Peginterferon-alpha2a and ribavirin combination therapy in chronic hepatitis C: a randomized study of treatment duration and ribavirin dose. Ann Intern Med 140: 346–355
Hagiwara M, Rusinek H, Lee VS et al (2008) Advanced liver fibrosis: diagnosis with 3D whole-liver perfusion MR imaging—initial experience. Radiology 246: 926–934
Huwart L, Peeters F, Sinkus R et al (2006) Liver fibrosis: non-invasive assessment with MR elastography. NMR Biomed 19: 173–179
Huwart L, Sempoux C, Salameh N et al (2007) Liver fibrosis: noninvasive assessment with MR elastography versus aspar-tate aminotransferase to-platelet ratio index. Radiology 245: 458–466
Ichikawa T, Haradome H, Hachiya J et al (1998) Diffusion-weighted MR imaging with a single-shot echoplanar sequence: detection and characterization of focal hepatic lesions. AJR Am J Roentgenol 170: 397–402
Imbert-Bismut F, Ratziu V, Pieroni L et al (2001) Biochemical markers of liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C virus infection: a prospective study. Lancet 357: 1069–1075
Ito K, Mitchell DG, Gabata T (2000) Enlargement of hilar periportal space: a sign of early cirrhosis at MR imaging. J Magn Reson Imaging 11: 136–140
Ito K, Mitchell DG, Kim MJ et al (2003) Right posterior hepatic notch sign: a simple diagnostic MR finding of cirrhosis. J Magn Reson Imaging 18: 561–566
Janes CH, Lindor KD (1993) Outcome of patients hospitalized for complications after outpatient liver biopsy. Ann Intern Med 118: 96–98
Kim AI, Saab S (2005) Treatment of hepatitis C. Am J Med 118: 808–815
Kim T, Murakami T, Takahashi S et al (1999) Diffusion-weighted single-shot echoplanar MR imaging for liver disease. AJR Am J Roentgenol 173: 393–398
Kim WR, Gross JB Jr, Poterucha JJ et al (2001) Outcome of hospital care of liver disease associated with hepatitis C in the United States. Hepatology 33: 201–206
Koinuma M, Ohashi I, Hanafusa K et al (2005) Apparent diffusion coefficient measurements with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for evaluation of hepatic fibrosis. J Magn Reson Imaging 22: 80–85
Kwee TC, Takahara T, Koh DM et al (2008) Comparison and reproducibility of ADC measurements in breathhold, respiratory triggered, and free-breathing diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the liver. J Magn Reson Imaging 28: 1141–1148
Lauer GM, Walker BD (2001) Hepatitis C virus infection. N Engl J Med 345: 41–52
Le Bihan D (1988) Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging using steady-state free precession. Magn Reson Med 7: 346–351
Le Bihan D (1990) Diffusion/perfusion MR imaging of the brain: from structure to function. Radiology 177: 328–329
Le Bihan D, Breton E, Lallemand D et al (1988) Separation of diffusion and perfusion in intravoxel incoherent motion MR imaging. Radiology 168: 497–505
Le Bihan D, Turner R (1991) Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging using spin echoes. Magn Reson Med 19: 221–227
Le Bihan D, Turner R, MacFall JR (1989) Effects of intravoxel incoherent motions (IVIM) in steady-state free precession (SSFP) imaging: application to molecular diffusion imaging. Magn Reson Med 10: 324–337
Lewin M, Poujol-Robert A, Boelle PY et al (2007) Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 46: 658–665
Luciani A, Vignaud A, Cavet M et al (2008) Liver cirrhosis: intravoxel incoherent motion MR imaging–pilot study. Radiology 249: 891–899
Maharaj B, Maharaj RJ, Leary WP et al (1986) Sampling variability and its influence on the diagnostic yield of percutaneous needle biopsy of the liver. Lancet 1: 523–525
Manns MP, McHutchison JG, Gordon SC et al (2001) Peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin compared with interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin for initial treatment of chronic hepatitis C: a randomised trial. Lancet 358: 958–965
The French METAVIR Cooperative Study Group (1994) Intraobserver and interobserver variations in liver biopsy interpretation in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The French METAVIR Cooperative Study Group. Hepatology 20: 15–20
Muller MF, Prasad P, Siewert B et al (1994) Abdominal diffusion mapping with use of a whole-body echo-planar system. Radiology 190: 475–478
Murtz P, Flacke S, Traber F et al (2002) Abdomen: diffusion-weighted MR imaging with pulse-triggered single-shot sequences. Radiology 224: 258–264
Namimoto T, Yamashita Y, Sumi S et al (1997) Focal liver masses: characterization with diffusion-weighted echo-planar MR imaging. Radiology 204: 739–744
Parikh T, Drew SJ, Lee VS et al (2008) Focal liver lesion detection and characterization with diffusion-weighted MR imaging: comparison with standard breath-hold T2-weighted imaging. Radiology 246: 812–822
Poynard T, McHutchison J, Manns M et al (2003) Biochemical surrogate markers of liver fibrosis and activity in a randomized trial of peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin. Hepatology 38: 481–492
Regev A, Berho M, Jeffers LJ et al (2002) Sampling error and intraobserver variation in liver biopsy in patients with chronic HCV infection. Am J Gastroenterol 97: 2614–2618
Rouviere O, Yin M, Dresner MA et al (2006) MR elastography of the liver: preliminary results. Radiology 240: 440–448
Semelka RC, Chung JJ, Hussain SM et al (2001) Chronic hepatitis: correlation of early patchy and late linear enhancement patterns on gadolinium-enhanced MR images with histopathology initial experience. J Magn Reson Imaging 13: 385–391
Taouli B, Chouli M, Martin AJ et al (2008) Chronic hepatitis: Role of diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis and inflamma-tion. J Magn Reson Imaging 28: 89–95
Taouli B, Martin AJ, Qayyum A et al (2004) Parallel imaging and diffusion tensor imaging for diffusion-weighted MRI of the liver: preliminary experience in healthy volunteers. AJR Am J Roentgenol 183: 677–680
Taouli B, Tolia AJ, Losada M et al (2007) Diffusion-weighted MRI for quantification of liver fibrosis: preliminary experience. AJR Am J Roentgenol 189: 799–806
Taouli B, Vilgrain V, Dumont E et al (2003) Evaluation of liver diffusion isotropy and characterization of focal hepatic lesions with two single-shot echo-planar MR imaging sequences: prospective study in 66 patients. Radiology 226: 71–78
Thomsen HS, Marckmann P, Logager VB (2008) Update on nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am 16: 551–560
Turner R, Le Bihan D, Maier J et al (1990) Echo-planar imaging of intravoxel incoherent motion. Radiology 177: 407–414
Wong JB, McQuillan GM, McHutchison JG et al (2000) Estimating future hepatitis C morbidity, mortality, and costs in the United States. Am J Public Health 90: 1562–1569
Yamada I, Aung W, Himeno Y et al (1999) Diffusion coefficients in abdominal organs and hepatic lesions: evaluation with intravoxel incoherent motion echo-planar MR imaging. Radiology 210: 617–623
Yee HS, Currie SL, Darling JM et al (2006) Management and treatment of hepatitis C viral infection: recommendations from the department of veterans affairs hepatitis C resource center program and the national hepatitis C program office. Am J Gastroenterol 101: 2360–2378
Yin M, Talwalkar JA, Glaser KJ et al (2007a) Assessment of hepatic fibrosis with magnetic resonance elastography. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 5: 1207–1213.e2
Yin M, Woollard J, Wang X et al (2007b) Quantitative assessment of hepatic fibrosis in an animal model with magnetic resonance elastography. Magn Reson Med 58: 346–353
Ziol M, Handra-Luca A, Kettaneh A et al (2005) Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis by measurement of stiffness in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 41: 48–54
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Patel, J., Taouli, B. (2010). DW-MRI Assessment of Diffuse Liver Disease. In: Koh, D.M., Thoeny, H.C. (eds) Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging. Medical Radiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78576-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78576-7_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-78575-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-78576-7
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)