Gaining new insights into liver health with LiverMultiScan

In the United States, it is estimated that more than 30 million people suffer from some form of liver disease. Whether it is inherited through genetics or caused by a variety of factors that damage the liver, such as viruses, alcohol use and obesity, liver disease can do lasting, sometimes life-threatening damage. Over time, conditions that damage the liver can lead to scarring (cirrhosis), which can lead to liver failure, a life-threatening condition. However, early treatment may give the liver time to heal – and that means diagnosis can be the key to saving lives in North Louisiana.

“To serve this community and combat liver disease we invested in a state-of-theart LiverMultiScan diagnostic technology to aid in this fight,” said Steen Trawick, MD, chief executive officer and chief medical officer, CHRISTUS Shreveport- Bossier. “LiverMultiScan gives doctors and patients in North Louisiana access to the latest diagnostic aids to help improve the clinical journey for patients with liver disease.”

CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier now offers the LiverMultiScan, a noninvasive test that can assess liver health using a comprehensive noncontrast MRI to scan for tissue characterization, at CHRISTUS Bossier Emergency Hospital.

“This technology is such a gamechanger for this community because it allows us to diagnose and, if necessary, treat patients sooner,” said David Dies, MD, hepatologist. “There are numerous types of liver disease, but many patients do not show obvious symptoms until the later stages of the disease. If undiagnosed and left untreated, liver disease can lead to liver failure and the need for a transplant – and the risks are higher for patients who may be overweight, or have diabetes or high cholesterol. But, if liver disease is diagnosed early, it may be possible to halt or reverse disease progression.”

LiverMultiScan is a diagnostic aid that uses multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to non-invasively quantify liver tissue. Essentially, this technology allows clinicians to better view and analyze liver tissue than what would be possible with an MRI alone. Because it is noninvasive procedure, all that is required is a quick scan that takes less than 30 minutes. Even though the scan is simple, the outcome can have tremendous impact on the patient’s behalf: The results from LiverMultiScan will help a doctor determine the extent of liver damage and what type of treatment is best for each individual patient.

“This is thought to be the most accurate scan to date for issues of the liver such as scar tissues, inflammation, hepatitis, fatty deposits on the liver and iron deposition,” said Dr. Dies. “More importantly, it quantifies the amount of each of those items, something that no other scan can do. Instead of doing repeated liver biopsies, a patient can receive a LiverMultiScan to see if a new treatment is working. Further, it gives a very accurate stage of liver disease each time it is performed, and it is reproducible. No other non-invasive scan or test has this degree of accuracy. It will revolutionize our research of the liver and significantly shorten the time for the development of new drugs for the liver.”

By offering Perspectum’s LiverMultiScan to their patients, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier can provide a better understanding of a patient’s liver health and offer them a safe and non-invasive alternative to liver biopsy.”

“As liver disorders and other abnormalities become more and more prevalent, especially in our region, it is important our clinicians can diagnose and track the progression of the disease,” said Dr. Trawick. “The ability to diagnose liver disease more easily, and sooner, will have a tremendous impact on our patients and in this community.”

Steen Trawick, MD, chief executive officer and chief medical officer, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier.