Three-compartment modeling for dynamic theragnostic agent enhanced MRI for Quantitative Analysis of NASH progression

Abstract

Non-Alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a liver condition that has been linked heavily as a precursor to irreversible cirrhosis condition. The symptoms are often silent or non-specific to NASH, causing diagnosis to be difficult. Emerging works in theragnostics have open a chance to diagnose NASH using MRI systems. In this study, we present a three-compartment model that is sensitive to NASH progression. A kinetic parameter derived from the model linearly increased as NASH disease progressed. This study revealed possibility of using contrast agent and compartment modeling to quantitatively analyze the NASH progression.