Cirrhotic Rat Liver: Reference to Transporter Activity and Morphologic Changes in Bile Canaliculi—Gadoxetic Acid–enhanced MR Imaging

Abstract

Findings showed that liver cirrhosis promotes the elimination of gadoxetic acid mediated by mrp2; therefore, mrp2 up-regulation may explain the significant signal intensity loss noted on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR images in the rat. In addition, the up-regulation of mrp2 may be accompanied by morphologic changes in bile canaliculi and microvilli.