Variations of Portal Flow During the Respiratory Cycle in Healthy Volunteers

The analysis of portal vein blood flow is important when assessing the severity and progression of liver disease. It is important to understand normal liver regulation in order to appreciate the evaluation of the effect of treatment during the disease progression. The influence of respiration on hepatic hemodynamics is still poorly understood, although some studies have shown a significant impact. The purpose of this project is to quantify the blood flow variations in the portal vein at different positions during the respiratory cycle by using a fast MRI sequence and an Echo Planar (EPI) acquisition.