Using MRI to study the alterations in liver blood flow, perfusion, and oxygenation in response to physiological...

Noninvasive assessment of dynamic changes in liver blood flow, perfusion, and oxygenation using MRI may allow detection of subtle hemodynamic alterations in cirrhosis.

To assess the feasibility of measuring dynamic liver blood flow, perfusion, and T₂ * alterations in response to meal, hypercapnia, and hyperoxia challenges.

Prospective.

Ten healthy volunteers (HV) and 10 patients with compensated cirrhosis (CC).

3T; phase contrast, arterial spin labeling, and $T_2^{*}$ mapping.

Dynamic changes in portal vein and hepatic artery blood flow (using phase contrast MRI), liver perfusion (using arterial spin labeling), and blood oxygenation ( $T_2^{*}$ mapping) following a meal challenge (660 kcal), hyperoxia (target P_ET O₂ of 500 mmHg), and hypercapnia (target increase P_ET CO₂ of ∼6 mmHg).

Tests between baseline and each challenge were performed using a paired two-tailed t-test (parametric) or Wilcoxon-signed-ranks test (nonparametric). Repeatability and reproducibility were determined by the coefficient of variation (CoV).

Portal vein velocity increased following the meal (70 ± 9%, P < 0.001) and hypercapnic (7 (5-11)%, P = 0.029) challenge, while hepatic artery flow decreased (-30 ± 18%, P = 0.005) following the meal challenge in HV. In CC patients, portal vein velocity increased (37 ± 13%, P = 0.012) without the decrease in hepatic artery flow following the meal. In both groups, the meal increased liver perfusion (HV: 82 ± 50%, P < 0.0001; CC: 27 (16-42)%, P = 0.011) with faster arrival time of blood (HV: -54 (-56-30)%, P = 0.074; CC: -42 ± 32%, P = 0.005). In HVs, $T_2^{*}$ increased after the meal and in response to hyperoxia, with a decrease in hypercapnia (6 ± 8% P = 0.052; 3 ± 5%, P = 0.075; -5 ± 6%, P = 0.073, respectively), but no change in CC patients. Baseline between-session CoV <15% for blood flow and <10% for $T_2^{*}$ measures.

Dynamic changes in liver perfusion, blood flow, and oxygenation following a meal, hyperoxic, and hypercapnic challenges can be measured using noninvasive MRI and potentially be used to stratify patients with cirrhosis.

2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;49:1577-1586.