MR Elastography of Peritoneal Tumor

Background: MRE is a phase contrast MRI technique that evaluates the stiffness of tissues by directly visualizing and measuring propagated mechanical shear waves in tissues. MRE generates quantitative measurements and colorized spatial maps of shear wave displacement. The initial wave images are processed to generate an elastogram, which displays the quantitative values of the shear modulus of tissues on a color coded spatial map. MRE has been used to evaluate liver fibrosis which shows higher stiffness than normal liver parenchyma. Liver tumors also demonstrate increased liver stiffness and preliminary reports suggested that MRE may help to distinguish malignant from benign liver tumors. To our knowledge the use of MRE to evaluate other extrahepatic tumors including peritoneal tumors has not been previously reported.