Functional imaging of the liver

Abstract

Traditionally, imaging of focal and diffuse liver diseases has relied on morphological assessment on ultrasound, CT and MRI. However, morphological changes detectable on conventional imaging may be insensitive to early disease or therapeutic effects. For this reason, functional imaging techniques are increasingly used to evaluate liver diseases. The most widely investigated functional measurements include perfusion imaging (CT and MRI), diffusion-weighted MRI, MR elastography and quantitative T1-weighted gadoxetate-enhanced MRI of the liver. These techniques are used to improve disease detection, assess therapeutic effects and also evaluate liver function. The technical implementation, clinical utility and evidence for their deployment are discussed in this chapter.