Ryan Babu Perumpail1, Ning Jin1,
Yi Wang1, Victoria Lee2, Jennifer Karp1,
Bradley D. Bolster, Jr. 3, Saurabh Shah4, Sven
Zuehlsdorff4, Richard Ehman5, Albert Andrew Nemcek1,
Josh Levitsky2, Andrew Christian Larson1, Frank Miller1,
Reed Ali Omary1
1Radiology, Northwestern University,
Chicago, IL, United States; 2Hepatology, Northwestern University,
Chicago, IL, United States; 3Siemens Healthcare, Rochester, MN,
United States; 4Siemens Healthcare, Chicago, IL, United States; 5Radiology,
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
Magnetic
resonance elastography (MRE), a non-invasive method to quantify liver
stiffness, has not been directly correlated with MR-targeted biopsy results.
We tested the hypothesis that real-time MR-guided biopsies could target focal
segments of liver for histopathologic correlation with MRE stiffness
measurements. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of real-time MR
guidance to biopsy focal liver segments for correlation of fibrosis using MRE
targets. Since early-stage hepatic fibrosis can present as focal lesions, MRE
can be used to target biopsies to avoid clinical understaging and delayed
initiation of therapy.