Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Advanced Animal Model of Colorectal Metastasis in Liver: Imaging Techniques and Properties of Metastatic Clones
Published on: November 30, 2016
Appearances of colorectal hepatic metastases at diffusion-weighted MRI compared with histopathology: initial
E D Scurr1, D J Collins, L Temple
1Department of Radiology, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, UK.
Objective:
To describe the appearances of colorectal liver metastases on diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) and to compare these appearances with histopathology.
Methods:
43 patients with colorectal liver metastases were evaluated using breath-hold DW-MRI (b-values 0, 150 and 500 s mm(-2)). The b=500 s mm(-2) DW-MRI were reviewed consensually for lesion size and appearance by two readers. 18/43 patients underwent surgery allowing radiological-pathological comparison. Tissue sections were reviewed by a pathologist, who classified metastases histologically as cellular, fibrotic, necrotic or mixed. The frequency of DW-MRI findings and histological features were compared using the χ(2) test.
Results:
84 metastases were found in 43 patients. On b=500 s mm(-2) DW-MRI, metastases showed three high signal intensity patterns: rim (55/84), uniform (23/84) and variegate (6/84). Of the 55 metastases showing rim pattern, 54 were >1 cm in diameter (p<0.01, χ(2) test). 25/84 metastases were surgically resected. Of these, 11/22 metastases >1 cm in diameter showed rim pattern and demonstrated central necrosis at histopathology (p=0.04, χ(2) test). No definite relationship was found between uniform and variegate patterns with histology.
Conclusion:
Rim high signal intensity was the most common appearance of colorectal liver metastases >1 cm diameter on DW-MRI at b-values of 500 s mm(-2), a finding attributable to central necrosis.
