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Abstract #2448

Changes in the Brain More Than 10 Years After Liver Transplantation

Vt Herynek1, Monika Dezortov1, Dita Wagnerov1, Irena Hejlov2, Milan Hjek1

1MR-unit, Department of Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology, Institute for Clinical & Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic; 2Hepatogastroenterology Department, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic


Hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver disease manifests itself by hyperintense (T1-weighted images) or hypointense (T2-weighted images) signals in the basal ganglia due to deposition of paramagnetic ions. This process is reversible by liver transplantation. These changes can be assessed by relaxometry. We collected a unique group of 37 patients transplanted 8-15 years ago, which was compared to a group of patients before liver transplantation and a group of patients measured within two years after. Relaxometry revealed that recovery in the basal ganglia is permanent and no recurrence of paramagnetic ions was observed even after 15 years.