MR Elastography — A Noninvasive Alternative to Liver Biopsy

Compared with two other noninvasive approaches for staging liver fibrosis, MR elastography offered the best diagnostic performance.

Magnetic resonance (MR) elastography is a recently developed noninvasive alternative to liver biopsy. With this method, MR technology is used to calculate the stiffness of liver tissue — and by inference, the extent of fibrosis — by analyzing acoustic waves passing through the liver.

In this study, French researchers compared MR elastography with two other noninvasive approaches for staging liver fibrosis — ultrasound elastography and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) — in 141 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent liver biopsy. In 45 patients, liver biopsy, MR, or ultrasound did not yield interpretable results, leaving 96 cases for analysis. MR elastography was statistically superior to ultrasound elastogr…

Reviewing Author

Allan S. Brett, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Allan S. Brett, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose