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The effect of liver iron deposition on hepatic apparent diffusion coefficient values in cirrhosis

Hersh Chandarana1, Richard K G Do, Thais C Mussi

  • 1Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, 550 First Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA. hersh.chandarana@nyumc.org

AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology
|September 22, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Hepatic siderosis significantly lowers liver apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in cirrhosis patients. This iron deposition effect must be considered when using ADC for liver cirrhosis diagnosis.

Area of Science:

  • Radiology
  • Medical Imaging
  • Hepatology

Background:

  • Liver cirrhosis diagnosis relies on various imaging techniques.
  • Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values from diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) are used to assess liver tissue characteristics.
  • Hepatic iron deposition (siderosis) can potentially influence ADC measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of hepatic iron deposition on ADC values in liver cirrhosis patients.
  • To assess the relationship between iron concentration and ADC in vitro using phantoms.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 52 liver cirrhosis patients undergoing single-shot echo-planar imaging (EPI) DWI at 1.5 T.
  • Measurement of estimated signal-to-noise ratio (SNRest) and ADC in the right hepatic lobe.
  • Correlation analysis of ADC and T2* values with pathologic iron grade and in vitro iron concentrations.

Main Results:

  • In vitro phantoms showed decreased ADC and T2* with increasing iron concentration (r=-0.95 and -0.92).
  • Patients with hepatic siderosis exhibited significantly lower SNRest and ADC compared to those without (p<0.0001).
  • ADC and SNRest demonstrated a significant negative correlation with pathologic iron grade (r=-0.67 to -0.77).

Conclusions:

  • Hepatic siderosis is associated with reduced liver ADC values.
  • The presence of iron in the liver affects ADC measurements.
  • Clinicians should consider hepatic siderosis when interpreting ADC values for liver cirrhosis diagnosis.

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