Breath-hold Quantitative Liver MR Imaging: Assessment of Hepatic Fibrosis, Iron Content, and Fat Fraction

Background: MRE is a phase contrast MRI technique that evaluates the stiffness of tissues by directly visualizing and measuring propagated mechanical shear waves in tissues. MRE generates quantitative measurements and colorized spatial maps of shear wave displacement. The initial wave images are processed to generate an elastogram, which displays the quantitative values of the shear modulus of tissues on a color coded spatial map. MRE has been used to evaluate liver fibrosis which shows higher stiffness than normal liver parenchyma [1, 2]. IDEAL Quant is a multi-echo Dixon technique performed during a single breath hold that evaluates liver iron content (R2* value) and percentage of fat in the liver (fat fraction). This quantitative liver MR exam will be useful for numerous clinical applications including hepatic steatosis, NASH, cirrhosis, and hemochromatosis.