SimonMed Imaging --- Mountain View in Scottsdale, an outpatient medical imaging provider and physician radiology practice, is among the first in Arizona to offer advanced fatty liver disease screening.

Also known as Non-Alcoholic Steato-hepatosis (NASH), fatty liver disease affects more than 80 million people in the U.S., including 6 million children, according to a press release. Poor diet, obesity and lack of physical activity are the leading cause fatty liver disease.

SimonMed offers the first of its kind imaging to detect both alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). If left untreated, fatty liver disease has the potential to cause serious inflammation, with visible scarring in the liver (fibrosis).

Fibrosis can lead to severe, irreversible scarring (cirrhosis) and even liver cancer.

Only available at SimonMed --- Mountain View, Siemens Magnetom VIDA 3T MRI is a reliable tool for detecting fibrosis caused by fatty liver disease and other chronic liver diseases.
VIDA 3T MRI uses magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), which combines MRI with sound waves to create a visual map (elastogram) to show the stiffness of body tissues.

MRE is considered the industry gold standard due to its superior diagnostic performance, efficiency and reliability, a release states.

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Matthew Hesh, SimonMed’s expert thoracic and abdominal imaging radiologist, confirms if caught early enough, fatty liver disease can be diagnosed properly, monitored and potentially improved with medication.

“The enhanced technology for fatty liver screenings available through Vida 3T MRI magnetic resonance elastography offers early detection of ALFD and NALFD before it reaches the untreatable fibrosis stage,” Dr. Hesh said in a prepared statement.

Traditional methods for detecting ALFD and NALFD, like liver biopsy and ultrasound, are associated with numerous limitations including subjective interpretation, sampling error, high cost, risk of complications and patient reluctance.

The VIDA 3T MRI accelerates image acquisition to significantly shorten a patient’s exam time without compromising quality. The MRI lasts minutes and is non-invasive without radiation.

“Other companies often rely on fibro-scan technology, which could be scanning anywhere throughout the liver,” Dr. Hesh said.

“SimonMed’s Vida 3T MRI provides the radiologist with a clear, color contrasted visual, limiting error and maximizing accuracy.”

SimonMed Imaging has been serving local communities throughout the U.S. for over 30 years, with more than 150 location.