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Author Spotlight: Advancing Hepatic Fibrosis Diagnosis Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography and AI
Published on: July 21, 2023
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Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping versus R2*-based Histogram Analysis for Evaluating Liver Fibrosis: Preliminary
Masato Yoshikawa1, Kohsuke Kudo1,2, Taisuke Harada3,4
1Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine.
Summary
Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) shows promise for detecting liver fibrosis, outperforming R2* relaxometry in correlating with disease severity and differentiating fibrosis stages. This non-invasive method offers a potential alternative to biopsy for assessing liver fibrosis.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Hepatology
- Radiology
Background:
- Liver fibrosis staging is crucial for clinical management, with a preference for less invasive methods.
- Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* relaxometry show potential for non-invasively estimating liver fibrosis.
- Limited comparative studies exist between QSM analysis and liver fibrosis staging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of using QSM and R2*-based histogram analyses for estimating liver fibrosis.
- To compare QSM and R2* findings with ultrasound transient elastography and histological fibrosis stages.
Main Methods:
- Fourteen liver disease patients underwent multi-echo gradient echo MRI on a 3-Tesla scanner.
- QSM and R2* images were reconstructed, and histogram parameters (mean, variance, skewness, kurtosis, percentiles) were extracted.
- Data were correlated with ultrasound elastography and histological fibrosis stages (F0-F4), with ROC analysis performed.
Main Results:
- Six histogram parameters from both QSM and R2* correlated significantly with intrahepatic elasticity.
- QSM parameters (variance, 90th/99th percentiles) showed high correlation (r=0.818-0.844) with elasticity, surpassing R2*.
- Four QSM parameters significantly correlated with fibrosis stage (ρ=0.637-0.723) and differentiated advanced fibrosis (F2-4, F3-4) with AUC > 0.8, unlike R2*.
Conclusions:
- Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) demonstrates potential as a surrogate biomarker for liver fibrosis detection.
- QSM-based histogram analysis offers a promising, less invasive approach for non-invasively assessing liver fibrosis severity.
