Multi-organ assessment of compensated cirrhosis patients using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Advancing liver disease results in deleterious changes in a number of critical organs. The ability to measure structure, blood flow and tissue perfusion within multiple organs in a single scan has implications for determining the balance of benefit vs. harm for therapies. Our aim was to establish the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess changes in Compensated Cirrhosis (CC), and relate this to disease severity and future liver-related outcomes (LROs). METHODS: longitudinal relaxation time, heart rate, cardiac index, and volume assessment of the liver, spleen and kidneys. We explored the association between MRI parameters and disease severity, analysing differences in baseline MRI parameters in the 11 (18%) patients with CC who experienced future LROs. RESULTS: (p <0.01) were significantly different in patients with CC who subsequently developed negative LROs. CONCLUSIONS: hepatic and splenic perfusion, and superior mesenteric arterial blood flow were related to the risk of LROs. LAY SUMMARY: This study assesses the changes to structure, blood flow and perfusion that occur in the key organs (liver, spleen and kidney) associated with severe liver disease (Compensated Cirrhosis), using magnetic resonance imaging. The magnetic resonance imaging measures which changed with disease severity and were related to negative liver-related clinical outcomes are described.