The propagating waves travel faster through stiff tissue than through soft tissue, and a sophisticated computer algorithm works with the MRI image data to generate very accurate, quantitative measures of tissue stiffness that are displayed graphically. The result is a quantitative 3-D map of tissue stiffness in the targeted area of the patient’s body. Currently, MRE is being used clinically for the diagnosis liver fibrosis, but research into additional diagnostic capabilities for other areas of the body such as brain, muscle, breast, kidney, spine and the heart show great promise for many more clinical applications.

We call this technique

MRE is a revolutionary imaging tool with the capability to noninvasively "palpate by imaging" regions of the body that are beyond the reach of the physician’s hand. MRE is currently widely available for diagnosing liver fibrosis, a potentially serious complication that can result from conditions such as fatty liver disease, and chronic viral hepatitis. MRE helps patients and providers address diagnosis and monitoring liver diseases with a major global health burden. MRE is also a promising tool for detecting and helping plan treatment of tumors in many parts of the body and new highly-sensitive quantitative imaging biomarkers for characterizing tissue properties.

Resoundant is based in Rochester, MN and was founded by Mayo Clinic to share this medical advance with the world. The technology, invented by dedicated Mayo Clinic physicians and researchers, exemplifies the mission of Mayo Clinic to advance medical knowledge and innovation. The main MRE research program at Mayo Clinic, led by Mayo Clinic Radiologist Richard Ehman, MD, has had continuous research funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1995.

MR Elastography for Liver Fibrosis Assessment - Video