Noninvasive liver imaging: new techniques and practical strategies.
The goals and expectations of liver imaging have expanded as the treatment options for a range of liver diseases have advanced. Unfortunately, no single modality can yet achieve all the goals that an ideal imaging modality should satisfy. Currently available liver imaging techniques should be considered complementary rather than competitive in their roles, and appropriate utilization of the expanding technical capabilities of cross-sectional imaging depends on many considerations, including patient factors, referring physician expectations and biases, experience and bias of the radiologist, and the availability of state-of-the-art technical capabilities for each modality. This article reviews the advantages, limitations, and roles of fast CT and fast MR liver imaging techniques as well as the complimentary role of ultrasound, and the future of new imaging considerations including the role of contrast agents.
Longmaid
H E
HE
Department of Radiology, New England Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215.
Dupuy
D E
DE
Kane
R A
RA
Finn
J P
JP
Costello
P
P
D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods