Damage to the liver, primarily in the form of cirrhosis, is notoriously difficult to observe in a non-invasive manner. But a team of researchers in the U.K. have developed a method of using MRI to estimate the pressure in the liver, which can be signs of scarring and problematic circulation.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, led by Naaventhan Palaniyappan and Eleanor Cox, aimed to simplify the process of diagnosing cirrhosis by using imaging.

Currently, physicians measure pressure within the liver with a catheter through the patient's neck, a process that is expensive, invasive and can lead to complications. The study,  published in the Journal of Hepatology, examined 30 patients who underwent the catheter procedure while also following up with MRI.

"In patients with cirrhosis, the development and progression of portal hypertension is related to worse outcomes," Palaniyappan et al wrote. "However, the standard technique of assessing portal pressure is invasive and not widely used in clinical practice. Here, we have studied the use of non-invasive MRI in evaluating portal pressure. The MRI measures of liver architecture and blood flow in the splenic artery correlated well with portal pressure. Therefore, this non-invasive method can potentially be used to assess portal pressure in clinical trials and monitoring treatment in practice."