A Novel Approach for Hepatic Viscoelastic Characterization Using Magnetization-Tagged MRI and Single-Degree-Of-Freedom (SDOF) Viscoelastic Model

Sohae Chung¹, Leon Axel¹

Magnetization-tagged MRI was used to measure the cardiac-induced motion and deformation in the liver for assessing liver stiffness. In this study, we extended the previously used simple elastography estimation of liver stiffness, which have primarily considered the elasticity alone, to include viscoelastic properties, by looking at the time behavior of the cardiac-induced motion. A single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) viscoelastic model was applied in healthy subjects and patients with cirrhosis. The results showed statistically significant differences in the "stiffness" and the "damping" between healthy and cirrhosis livers, and it may provide an additional novel means for tissue characterization.