A noninvasive way to detect fibrosis. It's a good question. I have always understood MRIs are used to diagnose &/or monitor cancer or more advanced stages of liver disease (surface or structural things) but that is about it.
Look, here is a study about MRI to detect fibrosis (it's currently recruiting participants.)
http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01600105
http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/display/article/113619/1183987
Here's a link related to MRI vs Biopsy
____________________-
Here is an exciting thread. Mike (the OP) posted the question about the MRE and if you follow the thread he actually ended up coming to America and participating in a study for the technique he originally asked about.
The method is this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcmZi0J_u3Y
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/A-better-test-for-staging-liver-fibrosis-cirrhosis-MRE/show/1832957
There is a new technology that was invented at Mayo Clinic which is called MRE (Magnetic Resonance Elastography). This is an entirely different technology than the contrast enhance MRI that is most commonly used to diagnose HCC in hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis.
'Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a new way to image the body. Magnetic resonance elastography combines MRI imaging with sound waves to create a visual map, or elastogram, showing the stiffness (elasticity) of body tissues. The new technique is used primarily to detect hardening of the liver caused by many kinds of liver disease. '
This is another means of creating a non-invasive procedure to measure fibrosis based on the stiffness of the liver. This is related to the French/European method of Fibroscan which uses sound waves. The MRE has the additional feature of Magnetic resonance imaging.
Cheers!
Hector