Tomoe Barr1, Phillip Kuo2, Judith Pugh3, Charmi Patel3, Horacio Rilo4, Scott Squire2, Thomas Boyer5, Maria I. Altbach2
1Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States; 2Radiology, University of Arizona, United States; 3Pathology, University of Arizona, United States; 4Surgery, University of Arizona, United States; 5Medicine, University of Arizona, United States
Chronic liver disease due to Hepatitis B/C infection or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a major health problem in the USA and worldwide. The diagnosis of these pathologies requires a liver biopsy which is an invasive procedure with associated morbidity and cost and subject to sampling errors. Thus non-invasive imaging methods are actively being sought. In this work we use a novel radial gradient and spin-echo (RADGRASE) method which provides T2 of the water component and fat fraction maps from data acquired in a breath hold. These parameters are used to characterize changes in the liver due to inflammation, fibrosis, and steatosis in subjects with suspected of chronic liver disease.