Meng Yin1,
Kevin J. Glaser1, Jun Chen1, Yogesh K. Mariappan1,
Jayant A. Talwalkar2, Richard L. Ehman1
1Radiology,
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States; 2Gastroenterology and
Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
To investigate the utility of MRE derived mechanical properties in detecting hepatic inflammation, we performed multifrequency 3-D/3-axis MRE technique on poroelastic phantoms and 87 patients with biopsy-proven chronic liver disease. Results demonstrated systematic variations in mechanical properties with increased interstitial fluid pressure, with delta (acrTan(G/G)) the most promising. These findings offer preliminary evidence of the potential to extend MRE to distinguish and independently assess necroinflammatory and fibrotic processes.