MRE Provides Non-Invasive Liver Diagnosis

Two U.S. studies found magnetic resonance elastography, or MRE, a new imaging technique, is an accurate tool for non-invasive diagnosis of liver disease.

MRE uses a modified form of magnetic resonance imaging to accurately measure the hardness or elasticity of the liver. By applying vibrations to the liver, MRE obtains pictures of the mechanical waves passing through the organ that are processed to generate a quantitative image of tissue stiffness.

Healthy liver tissue is very soft, while a liver with fibrosis is firmer, and a liver with cirrhosis is almost rock-hard, lead researcher Dr. Richard Ehman, of the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., said in a statement. If detected early, fibrosis of the liver can be treated, but once the disease has progressed to cirrhosis, the condition is irreversible.

One study involved MRE examinations of 57 individuals with chronic liver disease and 20 healthy volunteers. The researchers confirmed that MRE accurately detects fibrosis with high sensitivity and specificity.

The second study looked at MRE examinations of liver and spleen stiffness and found that a highly significant correlation exists between liver and spleen stiffness in patients with portal hypertension.

The findings are being presented this week at Digestive Disease Week in Washington and the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine in Berlin.