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Magnetic resonance of the brain in chronic and acute liver failure

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Abstract

Brain alterations such as hepatic encephalopathy or brain edema are usually associated with liver failure. The mechanisms that lead to the generation of edema seem to be different depending on the course of liver failure (acute, chronic or acute-on-chronic liver failure). Several neuroimaging methods allow a non-invasive assessment of brain alterations in liver failure. Magnetic resonance has gained more interest due to the ability of giving information about cerebral metabolism using spectroscopy, water distribution by diffusion methods or neuronal connectivity by means of resting state magnetic resonance. These techniques have been applied to experimental models and patients with liver failure to elucidate cerebral pathways involved in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. In the future, the development of new magnetic resonance implementations will generate handy tools for the study of the brain and get better understanding of the mechanisms that take place in liver failure. This could be useful for the early diagnosis, as well as for the design of new treatments for cerebral complications of liver failure.

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Abbreviations

ADC:

Apparent diffusion coefficient

ACLF:

Acute-on-chronic liver failure

ALF:

Acute liver failure

CLF:

Chronic liver failure

FA:

Fractional anisotropy

FID:

Free induction decay

fMRI:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

HE:

Hepatic encephalopathy

MD:

Mean diffusivity

MR:

Magnetic resonance

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

MRS:

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy

MT:

Magnetization transfer

MTR:

Magnetization transfer ratio

NAA:

N-acetyl aspartate

VBM:

Voxel-based morphometry

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Financial support

CIBEREHD is supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

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Nothing to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Liver Unit, Hospital Vall Hebron, Barcelona, Spain

    Laia Chavarria & Juan Cordoba

  2. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Laia Chavarria & Juan Cordoba

  3. Departament Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain

    Laia Chavarria & Juan Cordoba

  4. Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain

    Juan Cordoba

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  1. Laia Chavarria
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  2. Juan Cordoba
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Correspondence to Juan Cordoba.

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Chavarria, L., Cordoba, J. Magnetic resonance of the brain in chronic and acute liver failure. Metab Brain Dis 29, 937–944 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-013-9452-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-013-9452-9

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