Clinical Value of 4D Flow MRI in Assessing High-Risk Esophagogastric Varices: A Prospective Study

Motivation: The pursuit of less invasive diagnostic methods to gauge portal hypertension and the associated risk of variceal bleeding in cirrhosis patients. Goal(s): To determine the effectiveness of hemodynamic parameters derived from 4D flow MRI for the non-invasive assessment of portal hypertension and to stratify the risk of variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis. Approach: Utilizing hemodynamic parameters from 4D flow MRI to profile portal circulation. Results: Results showed significant differences in FFC and maximum splenic blood flow between low-risk and high-risk patients. Moreover, the combination of FFC and maximum splenic blood yielded high diagnostic accuracy. Impact: Demonstrating the utility of 4D flow MRI in evaluating portal hypertension and variceal bleeding risk.