A paper published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology assessed the efficacy of 2D magnetic resonance elastography as well as a new 3D version for identifying advanced liver fibrosis.
Researchers conducted a prospective study of 100 patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and cancer.
Here are five insights:
1. Researchers found both MRE technologies were highly accurate for diagnosing advanced fibrosis, with 3D perhaps providing additional capabilities in some patients.
2. MRE is a specialized version of magnetic resonance imaging that propagates mechanical shear waves in liver tissue.
3. The study is the first to evaluate 3D-MRE for diagnosing advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients. The 3D version of MRE offered improved assessment of spatial patterns and the ability to diagnose larger volumes of tissue.
4. The 2D-MRE is already commercially available and easily implemented, however, 3D-MRE is more technically demanding and not yet widely available.
5. The researchers say the findings are encouraging because diagnosing NAFLD can be challenging.