Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026
Development and Angiographic Use of the Rabbit VX2 Model for Liver Cancer
Published on: January 7, 2019
Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging to Evaluate Immediate Response to Irreversible Electroporation in a Rabbit VX2 Liver
1Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China; Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 737 N. Michigan Ave., 16th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611.
Purpose:
To evaluate the feasibility of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in magnetic resonance imaging for quantitative measurement of responses following irreversible electroporation (IRE) in a rabbit liver tumor model.
Materials And Methods:
Twelve rabbits underwent ultrasound-guided VX2 tumor implantation in the left medial and left lateral liver lobes. The tumors in the left medial lobe were treated with IRE, whereas those in the left lateral lobe served as internal controls. DWI was performed before and immediately after IRE. Tumors were then harvested for histopathologic staining. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and change in ADC (ΔADC) were calculated based on DWI. Tumor apoptosis index (AI) was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling. These measurements from DWI and histopathology were compared between untreated and treated tumors.
Results:
The ADC values, ΔADC, and AI showed statistically significant differences between treated and untreated tumors (P < .05 for all). ADC values were higher in treated tumors than in untreated tumors (1.08 × 10-3 mm2/s ± 0.15 vs 0.88 × 10-3 mm2/s ± 0.19; P = .042).
Conclusions:
DWI can be used to quantitatively evaluate treatment response in liver tumors immediately after IRE.
