Ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging of pretransplant human donor liver. Clinical experience in 66 cases.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on 66 cold-stored human donor livers. Spin echo images were obtained with a clinical whole body MRI system. Various parenchymal and vascular abnormalities were found. An unexpected finding was the abundant presence of intrahepatic air. Although the majority of parenchymal abnormalities that were found would not have precluded transplantation, the rationale of pretransplant MRI was to prevent the introduction of unidentified pathology into the recipient. Guided by the MR images, lesions in the isolated organ can be easily located for biopsy and resection. Unnecessary or inadequate therapeutic interventions after transplantation can thus be avoided. In addition, the visualization of the hepatic veins with their confluence appears to be useful in split-liver procedures.