Assessment of Portal Hypertension with Multiparametric MRI

The purpose of this study is to determine whether new multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods (including diffusion-weighted MRI, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, MR elastography and phase-contrast imaging) can be useful in assessing liver damage and degree of portal hypertension (a complication of advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis) secondary to chronic liver disease, compared to ultrasound measurement of liver stiffness [acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) ultrasound] and routine blood tests. MRI uses magnetic fields to look at soft tissues in the body. This study will ultimately help to determine whether these methods will be useful in identifying liver disease and their complications that cannot be well-understood using current liver MRI techniques.