Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Liver Disease

Early and accurate diagnosis forms the basis for successful treatment of patients with liver tumors. Pre- and post-therapeutic imaging techniques, such as ultrasound, CT, and MRI imaging-unenhanced as well as contrast-enhanced-are used to detect liver tumors and differentiate between malignant and benign lesions. Once a lesion is detected, the ratio of involved versus non-involved liver segments must be assessed. Preoperative imaging in patients with hepatocellular carcinomas and liver metastases directly influences further therapeutic considerations, e.g., resection, liver transplantation, or regional therapeutic procedures, such as transcatheter arterial infusion therapy for arterial embolization, percutaneous ethanol instillation, chemotherapy, laser or radio frequency. Iron oxide-enhanced MRI as a non-invasive technique provides a high preoperative diagnostic efficacy for diagnosis of liver disorders. Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles are absorbed by the Kupffer cells of normal liver parenchyma and by tumors consisting of RES. This results in a signal change in MR images and various types of characteristic features of tissues. Resovist is a new iron oxide contrast agent that can be applied via intravenous bolus injection. It allows dynamic iron oxide-enhanced imaging for the first time. In this book, both the basic principles and the latest results in the use of contrast-enhanced MRI of the liver are presented. This work will allow the reader to understand and use superparamagnetic contrast agents for evaluating various diseases of the liver.