State of the Art in Liver Imaging – MR Diffusion/Perfusion

Luis Marti-Bonmati, MD, PhD,^1,2 Ángel Alberich-Bayarri, MSc,¹ Roberto Sanz-Requena, MSc,¹ Javier Sánchez-González³
1 Radiology Department, Quiron Hospital, Valencia, Spain;
2 Radiology Department, Dr. Peset University Hospital, Valencia, Spain;
3 MR Clinical Science Philips Healthcare, Spain

Correspondence to:
Luis Marti-Bonmati, MD, PhD
Radiology Department
Quiron Hospital
Avda Blasco Ibañez 14
46010 Valencia, Spain
e-mail: Luis.Marti@uv.es

Abstract
The purpose of this review is to summarise the role of magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted (DW) and perfusion-weighted (PW) techniques in liver imaging diagnosis. Both techniques improve the capabilities of MR in the management of both diffuse and focal liver lesions. These techniques allow qualitative analysis based on the semiologic analysis of the signal, and also the extraction of quantifiable features which add to the clinical assessment of the severity, degree of change, or biological status of a disease. The development, standardisation, and optimisation of these DW and PW imaging acquisition protocols and data analyses will change the clinical research and patient care scenarios in the evaluation of the different hepatic diseases.

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Dr Marti-Bonmati is in charge of the magnetic resonance (MR) Department at Dr. Peset University Hospital in Valencia, Spain, and is the head of the Radiology Department at Quiron Hospital, also in Valencia. After completing postgraduate training in radiology, Dr Marti-Bonmati published his doctoral thesis in medicine and surgery on "MRI in the study and characterization of focal liver lesions". He has published many educational and research papers, having edited several books in MR and radiology. He is the president of the Spanish Radiological Society (SERAM) and is an active member of several radiological societies: European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR; vice-president in 2009), European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology (ESMRMB; president in 2002-2003), Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), European Society of Radiology (ESR), International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), and Sociedad Española Diagnóstico Por Imagen Del Abdomen (SEDIA; president in 2002-2005). In 2008 he was awarded with the European Magnetic Resonance Award (EMRF).

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