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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
A Three-Dimensional Digital Model for Early Diagnosis of Hepatic Fibrosis Based on Magnetic Resonance Elastography
Published on: July 21, 2023
Assessment of diffusion-weighted MR imaging in liver fibrosis
Laurence Annet1, Frank Peeters, Jorge Abarca-Quinones
1Diagnostic Radiology Unit, Université Catholique de Louvain, St-Luc University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium. laurence.annet@rdgn.ucl.ac.be
Purpose:
To assess whether hepatic fibrosis is associated with a restriction in the diffusion of water that can be analyzed with diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) of the liver.
Materials And Methods:
DWI was performed in 10 normal rats and 15 rats with liver fibrosis. Echo-planar DWI was performed in the living rats at 1.5 T and repeated immediately after the animals were killed. Afterwards the livers were explanted, fixed in Bouin solution, and imaged with a DW spin-echo sequence at 4.7 T. Fibrosis was quantified by densitometry on Sirius red-stained histological sections.
Results:
In living rats the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) decreased with the severity of liver fibrosis (controls: 1535 +/- 294 mm(2)/second; CCl(4) (5 weeks) 1129 +/- 273 mm(2)/second; CCl(4) (9 weeks): 943 +/- 132 mm(2)/second; P = 0.002). An inverse correlation between ADC and liver fibrosis volume density was observed (r = -0.712, P < 0.001). In contrast, these findings were not observed in the rats after they were killed or in the fixated livers.
Conclusion:
Decreased ADC correlated with increased liver fibrosis in living rats, but not after death. These results suggest that restricted water diffusion cannot be assessed by DWI in liver fibrosis. Other factors, such as a decrease of perfusion, may explain the decrease of the hepatic ADC measured in vivo in rats with liver fibrosis.
Insights
Diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) reveals that liver fibrosis in living rats is associated with restricted water diffusion. This effect is not observed post-mortem, suggesting perfusion changes may influence hepatic ADC in fibrosis.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Hepatology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Hepatic fibrosis, a significant pathological condition, involves the accumulation of extracellular matrix in the liver.
- Assessing the severity and impact of liver fibrosis non-invasively is crucial for patient management.
- Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that measures water molecule diffusion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between hepatic fibrosis and water diffusion in the liver using DWI.
- To determine if DWI can detect restricted water diffusion associated with liver fibrosis in vivo.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was performed on living rats with induced liver fibrosis and control rats at 1.5 T.
- Post-mortem DWI was conducted on the same animals, followed by ex vivo imaging of fixed liver tissues at 4.7 T.
- Liver fibrosis was quantified histologically using Sirius red staining and densitometry.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was observed in living rats as liver fibrosis severity increased.
- A strong inverse correlation was found between ADC values and liver fibrosis volume density (r = -0.712, P < 0.001).
- These DWI findings were not replicated in post-mortem or fixed liver samples.
Conclusions:
- Decreased hepatic water diffusion, as measured by ADC, is associated with liver fibrosis in living rats.
- The observed changes in ADC are likely related to physiological factors in vivo, such as perfusion, rather than solely structural changes.
- DWI may not be suitable for assessing restricted water diffusion in liver fibrosis after death or in fixed tissues.
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