Description

Contrast agents for liver MR are used to increase the
contrast between normal and abnormal tissues thereby
improving lesion detection, to demonstrate the perfusion and
extraction characteristics of tissues to aid lesion
characterisation and to identify and evaluate the hepatic
vessels. Several different types of contrast agent are available
for liver MR. These can be broadly divided into non-specific
extracellular fluid space (ECF), hepatocyte specific and
reticulo-endothelial system specific agents. Whilst ECF
agents assist in lesion detection and offer valuable
information regarding tissue perfusion, tissue specific agents
further improve lesion detection and provide important
functional information to distinguish hepatocellular and
non-hepatocellular lesions. This article provides a brief
overview of the different agents and their current status for
the diagnosis of focal liver lesions.