Tomoelastography helps stage hepatic fibrosis

Tomoelastography shows promise as a tool for mapping the distribution of fibrosis throughout the liver, according to this study to be presented on Monday morning.

The findings suggest that the technology could reduce the need for liver biopsy, wrote a group led by presenter Dr. Rolf Reiter of Charité - University Medicine Berlin.

Reiter's team assessed the diagnostic accuracy of tomoelastography using multifrequency MR elastography in 43 patients with hepatic fibrosis. The study also included a cohort of 16 healthy people.

Tomoelastography stiffness maps showed high spatial resolution and anatomical details, allowing for high diagnostic accuracy for staging hepatic fibrosis, the researchers found.

"High-resolution stiffness maps enable the display of shear-wave speed-related anatomical details including multiple organs such as liver and spleen," they concluded.