Insights of an abdominal imager: What do we need for MRI enhancement?
✍ Scribed by Herbert Y. Kressel
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1991
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 322 KB
- Volume
- 22
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0740-3194
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✦ Synopsis
The development of MR applications in the abdomen has proceeded somewhat slowly to date. In large part this has been reflective of serious problems in obtaining images of the abdomen which are rich in diagnostic information, yet free from artifact. Over the last several years improvements in reduction in acquisition time, as well as improvements in artifact control, have reduced the technical limitations on the abdominal image quality, and it is expected that the role of abdominal MRI in the diagnostic armamentarium of the imager will increase.
Clearly, contrast agents of a variety of types will play an important part in the increasing role of abdominal MRI in the future. It is perhaps useful to reflect on both the potential role of MRI in the abdomen and the role for contrast agents which may be developed. Most importantly, it is important to realize that the success of MRI in the abdomen is dependent on it being not merely viewed as a modality which can replicate information currently available on computerized X-ray tomography, ultrasound, or radionuclide techniques, but rather on its success in expanding our ability to recognize disease, to characterize it, to understand the natural history of a disease process, and to analyze a response to therapy.
The growth of MR in the abdomen will in part be dependent on the ability of the diagnostic applications developed to increase the accuracy of diagnosis. Clearly, increasing the sensitivity to detect abnormalities is important, yet this must be done in the context of improved ability to characterize disease and to increase our specificity for disease processes.
Another potential role for MR enhancement is to provide improved functional information. Functional evaluation of a variety of organs in the abdomen, including the liver, pancreas, and kidneys, is generally performed through the use of blood chemistries to assess overall organ function, as well as with a variety of radionuclide agents. The potential incremental benefit of MR in functional assessment rests with the improved anatomic delineation of the functioning or nonfunctioning areas. Conceivably, this might improve our ability to recognize alterations of function earlier, or may permit improved understanding of the natural history of a disease process.
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