Diffusion-weighted MR imaging can help differentiate benign from malignant hepatic lesions. The use of two b values in one direction could be sufficient for the design of MR sequences in the liver.

Diffusion tensor imaging in utero can provide a quantitative assessment of the microstructural development of fetal white matter. Anisotropic parameters of the diffusion tensor should improve with technical advances.

• Magnetic Resonance elastography is a new method of assessing the liver. • Increased loss modulus is an indicator of malignancy in hepatic tumours. • Loss modulus is a better discriminator than absolute shear modulus values. • The viscoelastic properties of lesions offer promise for characterising liver tumours.