title: [Magnetic resonance elastography of the liver].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The early detection of liver fibrosis remains a major challenge in medical imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nowadays staging of liver fibrosis is not a task for radiological examinations and the gold standard is liver puncture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Elastography is sensitive to the mechanical properties of soft tissues and in the liver stiffness is highly correlated to the degree of fibrosis. In magnetic resonance imaging elastography (MRE) time-harmonic vibrations are induced in the liver and encoded by motion-sensitive phase-contrast sequences. Viscoelastic constants are recovered from the obtained wave images and displayed by so-called elastograms.
  
  
  METHODS
  The MRE procedure is able to discriminate low grades of fibrosis (F0-F1) from medium and severe fibrosis (F2-F4) with a diagnostic accuracy (AUROC) of 0.92.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Currently, MRE is the most sensitive imaging modality for the noninvasive staging of liver fibrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current technical developments of MRE may further improve the accuracy of the method towards a new gold standard for noninvasive staging of fibrosis by radiologists.
authors: Institut für Radiologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany. ingolf.sack@charite.de
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Sack
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Fischer
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Thomas
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Braun
mesh_terms: D055119:Elastic Modulus; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011859:Radiography