Title: MR Elastography: A New Touch in Medical Imaging
Speaker: Richard L. Ehman, MD
The Department of Medical Imaging is pleased to have Richard L. Ehman, MD, presenting at our Grand Rounds on Friday, November 9th, in the College of Medicine, Room 2117, at 12:00 pm.
Dr. Ehman is Professor of Radiology and is the Blanche R. & Richard J. Erlanger Professor of Medical Research at the Mayo Clinic. His research program is focused on developing new imaging technologies. He holds more than 40 patents and many of these inventions are widely used in medical care. Dr. Ehman has been awarded Gold Medals by the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Asian Oceanian Society of Radiology. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2010 and inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in 2018. Dr. Ehman is past president of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the Academy of Radiology Research, the Society for Body Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance, and the Radiological Society of North America.
Abstract: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is an imaging technology for quantitatively mapping the mechanical properties of tissue. It has been installed on more than 1000 MRI systems worldwide. The main application is noninvasive diagnosis of chronic liver disease. This presentation describes the basic principles of MRE and current indications for evaluating liver disease. Diagnostic performance is reviewed and compared to ultrasound elastography. Pitfalls of interpretation are discussed. New MRE techniques are described, including advanced multiparametric liver MRE, which promises to help independently assess hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, and portal hypertension. Other emerging MRE applications are surveyed, with a focus on brain imaging. MRE has been shown to be useful in preoperative planning for resection of menigiomas and skull base tumors, where tumor stiffness has a profound impact on surgical time and difficulty. MRE reveals substantial changes in brain stiffness in neurodegenerative disease with characteristic anatomic distributions that can be helpful in diagnostic classification.
College of Medicine, Room 2117