New Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Findings Recently Were Published by Researchers at University of Yamanashi

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Hepatitis Weekly -- Investigators discuss new findings in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. According to news reporting from Yamanashi, Japan, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "We evaluated the use of magnetic resonance (MR) elastography (MRE) for staging liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and compared the ability of MRE and serum fibrosis markers for discriminating each stage of fibrosis. We evaluated 114 patients with chronic hepatitis C in whom the pathological fibrosis stage was determined (fibrosis stage 0 [F0], 3; F1, 15; F2, 28; F3, 25; and F4, 43)."

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the University of Yamanashi, "All patients underwent MRE using a 1.5-tesla MR system and pneumatic driver system. We measured stiffness values (kPa) of the liver in a circular region of interest placed on elastograms. We determined the optimal cutoff value and diagnostic ability for discriminating each stage of fibrosis using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and compared the discriminative ability of MRE with that of serum fibrosis markers. The mean stiffness values of the liver increased with stage of fibrosis: F0, 2.10 +/- 0.10 kPa; F1, 2.42 +/- 0.29 kPa; F2, 3.16 +/- 0.32 kPa; F3, 4.21 +/- 0.78 kPa; and F4, 6.20 +/- 1.08 kPa. The mean area under the ROC curve (Az) values for discriminating liver fibrosis stages were: >= F1, 0.984 (95% confidence interval, 0.933-0.996); >= F2, 0.986 (0.956-0.996); >= F3, 0.973 (0.935-0.989); and >= F4, 0.976 (0.945-0.990). The Az values for discriminating fibrosis stages were significantly higher for MRE than serum fibrosis markers."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "MRE is a reliable technique for staging liver fibrosis and discriminating liver fibrosis stages in patients with chronic hepatitis C."

For more information on this research see: Magnetic Resonance Elastography for Staging Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis C. Magnetic Resonance in Medical Sciences, 2012;11(4):291-297. Magnetic Resonance in Medical Sciences can be contacted at: Jpn Soc Magnetic Resonance In Medicine, Gotanda Park Side Bldg 4F, 5 24 9 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-Ku, Tokyo, 141-0022, Japan (see also Magnetic Resonance Imaging).

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting S. Ichikawa, University of Yamanashi, Dept. of Surg 1, Chuo, Yamanashi 4093898, Japan.

Keywords for this news article include: Asia, Japan, Yamanashi, Liver Diseases, Liver Fibrosis, Liver Cirrhosis, Gastroenterology, Chronic Hepatitis, Infectious Disease, Digestive System Diseases, Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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