MRI of the liver
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Authors:
Rodrigo Castilhos; Mikael Häggström [notes 1]
Contents
Planning
Choice of modality
For the liver, the initial imaging of choice is generally as follows:
- Ultrasonography of the liver for suspected cirrhosis and/or portal hypertension.[1]
- CT of the liver, often as part of a general abdominal CT, is generally the investigation of choice to look for metastases of recently diagnosed cancers in the abdomen.[2]
- MRI of the liver is indicated in hypervascular lesions that may represent a focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH).[3]
Technique
Requires a phased array torso coil.
Basic screening
- Morphology: verify size, borders and contours.
- Liver parenchyma: Scan for steatosis, iron deposition
- Focal lesions: Scan for nodules
- Biliary ducts:
- Hepatic veins
- Portal vein
Search for extrahepatic findings
- Lymph nodes in hepatic hilum.
- Signs of portal hypertension: ascites, splenomegaly; portosystemic collateral vessels
Report
LI-RADS (Liver Imaging and Reporting Data System) system should be used only if patient has a high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis B or current/prior HCC).
- See also: General notes on reporting
Notes
- ↑ For a full list of contributors, see article history. Creators of images are attributed at the image description pages, seen by clicking on the images. See Radlines:Authorship for details.
References
- ↑ Procopet, Bogdan; Berzigotti, Annalisa (2017). "Diagnosis of cirrhosis and portal hypertension: imaging, non-invasive markers of fibrosis and liver biopsy ". Gastroenterology Report 5 (2): 79–89. doi: . ISSN 2052-0034.
- ↑ Lincke, Therese; Zech, Christoph J. (2017). "Liver metastases: Detection and staging ". European Journal of Radiology 97: 76–82. doi: . ISSN 0720048X.
- ↑ Maniam, Santhi (2010). "Magnetic resonance imaging: Review of imaging techniques and overview of liver imaging ". World Journal of Radiology 2 (8): 309. doi: . ISSN 1949-8470.