title: [Functional MR imaging of the liver].
abstract: The diagnostics of diffuse liver disease traditionally rely on liver biopsies and histopathological analysis of tissue specimens. However, a liver biopsy is invasive and carries some non-negligible risks, especially for patients with decreased liver function and those requiring repeated follow-up examinations. Over the last decades, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has developed into a valuable tool for the non-invasive characterization of focal liver lesions and diseases of the bile ducts. Recently, several MRI methods have been developed and clinically evaluated that also allow the diagnostics and staging of diffuse liver diseases, e.g. non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis, hepatic fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, hemochromatosis and hemosiderosis. The sequelae of diffuse liver diseases, such as a decreased liver functional reserve or portal hypertension, can also be detected and quantified by modern MRI methods. This article provides the reader with the basic principles of functional MRI of the liver and discusses the importance in a clinical context.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Radiodiagnostik und Nuklearmedizin, Medizinische Universität Wien, Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Wien, Österreich. andreas.wibmer@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wibmer
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Radiodiagnostik und Nuklearmedizin, Medizinische Universität Wien, Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Wien, Österreich.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nolz
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinische Abteilung für Gastroenterologie und Hepatologie, Medizinische Universität Wien, Wien, Österreich.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trauner
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Radiodiagnostik und Nuklearmedizin, Medizinische Universität Wien, Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Wien, Österreich.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ba-Ssalamah
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008111:Liver Function Tests / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
keywords: Diffuse liver disease; Functional imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; Non-invasive diagnostics; Quantitative imaging