Advance of MRI T1ρ in evaluation of liver fibrosis

Chronic liver disease (CLD) is one of the major public health problems, and liver fibrosis is a common feature of CLD. To date, there is no noninvasive method with high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing and monitoring liver fibrosis in clinical practice. MRI T1ρ, a new technology developed in recent years, is sensitive to macromolecular (such as protein) composition and proton exchange between water and macromolecules, and therefore may be sensitive for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. This review introduces the principle and state of the art of liver MRI T1ρ technology, and summarizes the applications of MRI T1ρ for evaluation of liver fibrosis. Key words: Liver cirrhosis; Magnetic resonance imaging; Trends