Chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging in hepatic encephalopathy.

ABSTRACT: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common complication in liver cirrhosis and associated with an invasion of ammonia into the brain through the blood-brain barrier. Resulting higher ammonia concentrations in the brain are suggested to lead to a dose-dependent gradual increase of HE severity and an associated impairment of brain function. Amide proton transfer-weighted (APT_w) chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging has been found to be sensitive to ammonia concentration. The aim of this work was to study APT_w CEST imaging in patients with HE and to investigate the relationship between disease severity, critical flicker frequency (CFF), psychometric test scores, blood ammonia, and APT_w signals in different brain regions. Whole-brain APT_w

SUBMITTER: Zollner HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6411782 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature