title: Magnetic resonance elastography of abdomen.
abstract: Many diseases cause substantial changes in the mechanical properties of tissue, and this provides motivation for developing methods to noninvasively assess the stiffness of tissue using imaging technology. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has emerged as a versatile MRI-based technique, based on direct visualization of propagating shear waves in the tissues. The most established clinical application of MRE in the abdomen is in chronic liver disease. MRE is currently regarded as the most accurate noninvasive technique for detection and staging of liver fibrosis. Increasing experience and ongoing research is leading to exploration of applications in other abdominal organs. In this review article, the current use of MRE in liver disease and the potential future applications of this technology in other parts of the abdomen are surveyed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA, venkatesh.sudhakar@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Sudhakar Kundapur
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Venkatesh
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Ehman
mesh_terms: D034841:Abdominal Cavity / Q000473:pathology; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010179:Pancreas / Q000473:pathology; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D014591:Uterine Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D014599:Uterus / Q000473:pathology