This is a feasibility study for assessing the nonlinear mechanical behaviors of the liver while experiencing different degrees of mechanical preloads. The different loading conditions were induced by 1) diaphragm movement in a view-sharing free-breathing 2D-EPI-MRE acquisition; 2) end-expiration versus end-inspiration states in a breath-held 3D-EPI-MRE acquisition. We observed intriguing stiffness variation synchronized with the breathing pattern in the free-breathing MRE, and a difference between end-expiration and end-inspiration liver stiffness in the breath-held MRE. The promising results demonstrated that the free-breathing and/or breath-hold liver MRE at different breathing states can be useful for the assessment of nonlinear mechanical tissue behaviors.
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