title: Magnetization-tagged MRI is a simple method for predicting liver fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the usefulness of magnetization-tagged magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in quantifying cardiac-induced liver motion and deformation in order to predict liver fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study included 85 patients who underwent liver MRI including magnetization-tagged sequences from April 2010 to August 2010. Tagged images were acquired in three coronal and three sagittal planes encompassing both the liver and heart. A Gabor filter bank was used to measure the maximum value of displacement (MaxDisp) and the maximum and minimum values of principal strains (MaxP1 and MinP2, respectively). Patients were divided into three groups (no fibrosis, mild-to-moderate fibrosis, and significant fibrosis) based on their aspartate-aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) score. Group comparisons were made using ANOVA tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients were divided into three groups according to APRI scores: no fibrosis (≤ 0.5; n=41), moderate fibrosis (0.5-1.5; n=23), and significant fibrosis (>1.5; n=21). The values of MaxDisp were 2.9 ± 0.9 (mean ± SD), 2.3 ± 0.7, and 2.1 ± 0.6 in the no fibrosis, moderate fibrosis, and significant fibrosis groups, respectively (P<0.001); the corresponding values of MaxP1 were 0.05 ± 0.2, 0.04 ± 0.02, and 0.03 ± 0.01, respectively (P=0.002), while those of MinP2 were -0.07 ± 0.02, -0.05 ± 0.02, and -0.04 ± 0.01, respectively (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tagge d MRI to quantify cardiac-induced liver motion can be easily incorporated in routine liver MRI and may represent a helpful complementary tool in the diagnosis of early liver fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Eun
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Sohae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chansik
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Axel
authors.affiliation: Tachkent Medical Academy, Tachkent, Uzbekistan.
authors.forename: Rakhmonova Gulbahor
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Ergashovna
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000032:analysis; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases
keywords: Fibrosis; Liver cirrhosis; Magnetic resonance imaging