Single Breath-Hold 3-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Elastography Depicts Liver Fibrosis and Inflammation in Obese Patients

摘要

ObjectivesThree-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) measures liver fibrosis and inflammation but requires several breath-holds that hamper clinical acceptance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical and clinical feasibility of a single breath-hold 3D MRE sequence as a means of measuring liver fibrosis and inflammation in obese patients.MethodsFrom November 2020 to December 2021, subjects were prospectively enrolled and divided into 2 groups. Group 1 included healthy volunteers (n = 10) who served as controls to compare the single breath-hold 3D MRE sequence with a multiple-breath-hold 3D MRE sequence. Group 2 included liver patients (n = 10) who served as participants to evaluate the clinical feasibility of the single breath-hold 3D MRE sequence in measuring liver fibrosis and inflammation. Controls and participants were scanned at 60 Hz mechanical excitation with the single breath-hold 3D MRE sequence to retrieve the magnitude of the complex-valued shear modulus (G* kPa), the shear wave speed (Cs m/s), and the loss modulus (G" kPa). The controls were also scanned with a multiple-breath-hold 3D MRE sequence for comparison, and the participants had histopathology (Ishak scores) for correlation with Cs and G".ResultsFor the 10 controls, 5 were female, and the mean age and body mass index were 33.1 +/- 9.5 years and 23.0 +/- 2.1 kg/m(2), respectively. For the 10 participants, 8 were female, and the mean age and body mass index were 45.1 +/- 16.5 years and 33.1 +/- 4.0 kg/m(2) (obese range), respectively. All participants were suspected of having nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Bland-Altman analysis of the comparison in controls shows there are nonsignificant differences in G*, Cs, and G" below 6.5, suggesting good consensus between the 2 sequences. For the participants, Cs and G" correlated significantly with Ishak fibrosis and inflammation grades, respectively (rho = 0.95, P < 0.001, and rho = 0.84, P = 0.002).ConclusionThe single breath-hold 3D MRE sequence may be effective in measuring liver fibrosis and inflammation in obese patients.