ABSTRACT
As the body’s largest solid organ, the liver remains the primary focus of the gastrointestinal radiologist interested in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT). The liver is susceptible to a wide variety of neoplastic and nonneoplastic conditions of major clinical importance. While up to now MR imaging of the liver has been restricted to a role of ‘‘problem solver,’’ only applied when dynamic bolus contrast-enhanced CT was inconclusive or in cases where iodinated contrast material is contraindicated, recent re¢nements in MR technology have advanced MR imaging as a primary hepatic imaging tool. Over the last decade, MRI has continued to evolve and mature with the development of new improved hardware, imaging sequences, and tissue-speci¢c contrast agents. Advances in MR pulse sequences, phased array body coils, imaging speed, and gradient architecture have made MRI the optimal modality for the detection and characterization of focal and di¡use liver pathology.
