Hepatic phospholipids in alcoholic liver disease assessed by proton-decoupled 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Background/aims: Alteration of the phospholipid composition of hepatic biomembranes may be one mechanism of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). We applied proton-decoupled (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ({(1)H}-(31)P MRSI) to 40 patients with ALD and to 13 healthy controls to confirm that metabolic alterations in hepatic phospholipid intermediates could be detected non-invasively.

Methods: All patients underwent liver biopsy.