Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of Time-Resolved Flow Analysis of Portal Venous Hemodynamics of Liver Cirrhosis Patients and Volunteers

Zoran Stankovic¹, Zoltan Csatari¹, Peter Deibert², Wulf Euringer¹, Wolfgang Kreisel², Susanne Eggerking², Philipp Blanke¹, Zahra Abdullah Zadeh¹, Jrgen Hennig¹, Mathias Langer¹, Michael Markl¹

Time-resolved flow-sensitive 4D MRI permits qualitative and quantitative evaluation of portal venous hemodynamics of liver cirrhosis patients compared to volunteers. Our results demonstrate a persistent reduction of the peak velocities in the portal venous system between patients and different age group volunteers. Analysis showed significant correlation for peak and mean velocities between MRI and US measurements (r=0.53, p< 0.001) which served as reference standard. In liver cirrhosis patients 3D MR velocity mapping may be a standardized technique for evaluating flow characteristics modification, therapy monitoring or disease progression.