This volume explores the main applications of elastographic techniques in hepatological and gastroenterological diseases, and elaborates on the use of these diagnostic techniques in a broad range of clinical settings; in this regard, it provides a clear critical methodological approach to the correct indication, taking into account the existing diagnostic pathways, the actual diagnostic accuracy of elastographic techniques, and their impact on clinical practice in terms of correct positioning of the test in the diagnostic pathway and clinical outcomes improvement. In the first chapters, which focus on the correct methodology for Diagnostic Accuracy Assessment of non -invasive techniques, the architecture of diagnostic research is discussed. In turn, the following sections describe a broad range of clinical applications in hepatology and gastroenterology. The closing section presents a number of case studies on practical issues, together with a critical discussion on how to promote the appropriate use of these technologies. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to specialists, post-graduate medical students, and researchers in the fields of hepatology and gastroenterology.

This is the first comprehensive book on the new elastographic techniques discussing the early assessment of liver fibrosis. The book covers all aspects of measuring liver stiffness starting from the methodology, the molecular basis of liver stiffness elevation up to current clinical algorithms and interpretation. Future directions and novel implications that go beyond diagnosis but are relevant for understanding of liver cirrhosis per se are also discussed in detail. Liver Elastography, is an essential companion for hepatologists and gastroenterologists that provides an overview of its basic principles and gives a detailed account of how to use elastrography in clinical practice.

The first book to cover the groundbreaking development and clinical applications of Magnetic Resonance Elastography, this book is essential for all practitioners interested in this revolutionary diagnostic modality. The book is divided into three sections. The first covers the history of MRE. The second covers technique and clinical applications of MRE in the liver with respect to fibrosis, liver masses, and other diseases. Case descriptions are presented to give the reader a hands-on approach. The final section presents the techniques, sequence and preliminary results of applications in other areas of the body including muscle, brain, lung, heart, and breast.

Elastography, the science of creating noninvasive images of mechanical characteristics of tissues, has been rapidly evolving in recent years. The advantage of this technique resides in the ability to rapidly detect and quantify the changes in the stiffness of soft tissues resulting from specific pathological or physiological processes. Ultrasound elastography is nowadays applied especially on the liver and breast, but the technique has been increasingly used for other tissues including the thyroid, lymph nodes, spleen, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, prostate, and the musculoskeletal and vascular systems. This book presents some of the applications of strain and shear-wave ultrasound elastography in hepatic, pancreatic, breast, and musculoskeletal conditions.

This book provides a unique up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the most important diagnostic methods available for assessing liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The book covers all the significant advances made in the last 10 years in HVPG and biopsy interpretation, imaging and elastography. This is a unique and well structured book authored by senior experts in the field aimed at providing updated knowledge to the hepatology specialist and to the physicians interested in chronic liver disease. The book starts by giving an overview of the disease, outlining the clinical needs in this field; this is followed by detailed information both on the invasive gold-standard methods (HVPG measurement, liver biopsy, endoscopy), and on the standard and emerging non-invasive methods, including serum markers of fibrosis, ultrasound-elastography, magnetic resonance elastography, ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, CT, magnetic resonance and derived methods (dynamic flow assessment). The final part of the book is devoted to diagnostic tests in non-cirrhotic causes of portal hypertension (Budd-Chiari Syndrome, Portal vein thrombosis, idiopathic portal hypertension, etc), and in pediatric portal hypertension. Written by a team of worldwide opinion leaders this book pays special attention to the most promising novel non-invasive methods in the field.

This book provides an in-depth coverage not only of liver pathology but also of diagnosis of the numerous types of liver disease, placing specific emphasis on current treatments of liver pathology including the most up-to-date information on liver transplantation. The first part of provides an in-depth account of the liver pathology in different conditions such as Hepatits, liver ischaemia reperfusion injury, Lyme disease, cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and hepatocellular carcinoma. The second part provides a comprehensive overview of diagnostic methods. Of particular interest are chapters on the latest techniques in Patient-specific 3D printing and transient elastography (FibroScan). The final part focuses on treatment and provides a step-by step guide to the therapeutic management of liver diseases starting with pharmacological treatment and techniques including surgery and liver transplantation. This is an invaluable book for clinicians, practitioners including academics, scientists/researchers and postgraduates to provide the newest knowledge in the field of liver pathogenesis. It is written by a multidisciplinary team of experts in hepathology, gastroenterology, and surgery especially from liver transplantation.

Completely revised new edition of the premier reference on pediatric liver disease. Liver Disease in Children, 3rd Edition provides authoritative coverage of every aspect of liver disease affecting infants, children, and adolescents. The book offers an integrated approach to the science and clinical practice of pediatric hepatology and charts the substantial progress in understanding and treating these diseases. Chapters are written by international experts and address the unique pathophysiology, manifestations, and management of these disorders in the pediatric population. The third edition has been thoroughly updated and features new contributions on liver development, cholestatic and autoimmune disorders, fatty liver disease, and inborn errors of metabolism. With the continued evolution of pediatric hepatology as a discipline, this text remains an essential reference for all physicians involved in the care of children with liver disease.

The comparison between methods, evaluation of portal hypertension and many other questions are still open issues in liver elastography. New elastographic applications are under evaluation and close to being used in clinical practice. Strain imaging has been incorporated into many disciplines and EFSUMB guidelines are under preparation. More research is necessary for improved evidence for clinical applications in daily practice. The Special Issue published papers on recent advances in development and application of Ultrasound Elastography.

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a medical imaging technique that combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with mechanical vibrations to generate maps of viscoelastic properties of biological tissue. It serves as a non-invasive tool to detect and quantify mechanical changes in tissue structure, which can be symptoms or causes of various diseases. Clinical and research applications of MRE include staging of liver fibrosis, assessment of tumor stiffness and investigation of neurodegenerative diseases. The first part of this book is dedicated to the physical and technological principles underlying MRE, with an introduction to MRI physics, viscoelasticity theory and classical waves, as well as vibration generation, image acquisition and viscoelastic parameter reconstruction. The second part of the book focuses on clinical applications of MRE to various organs. Each section starts with a discussion of the specific properties of the organ, followed by an extensive overview of clinical and preclinical studies that have been performed, tabulating reference values from published literature. The book is completed by a chapter discussing technical aspects of elastography methods based on ultrasound.

This essential book is a unique, authoritative and clinically oriented text on pediatric ultrasound. It provides up-to-date information addressing all aspects of congenital and acquired disorders in children encountered in clinical practice. The easy-to-navigate text is divided into 20 chapters. Each chapter is organized to cover the latest ultrasound techniques, normal development and anatomy, anatomic variants, key clinical presentations, characteristic ultrasound imaging findings, differential diagnoses and relevant pitfalls. With more than 2400 images, examples of new technological developments such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography are included. Written by internationally known pediatric radiology experts and editorial team lead by acclaimed authors, Harriet J. Paltiel, MDCM and Edward Y. Lee, MD, MPH, this reference is a practical and ideal guide for radiologists, radiology trainees, ultrasound technologists as well as clinicians in other specialties with an interest in pediatric ultrasound.