Comparison of T2, T1rho, and diffusion metrics in assessment of liver fibrosis in rats

• Published in: Journal of magnetic resonance imaging Vol. 45; no. 3; pp. 741 - 750
• Main Authors: Zhang, Hui, Yang, Qihua, Yu, Taihui, Chen, Xiaodong, Huang, Jingwen, Tan, Cui, Liang, Biling, Guo, Hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2017
• Subjects: Algorithms; Animals; Bile; Biomarkers; Carbon tetrachloride; Diagnostic systems; Diffusion; Diffusion coefficient; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; diffusion time; Fibrosis; fibrosis staging; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Imaging; Liver; Liver Cirrhosis - diagnostic imaging; Liver Cirrhosis - pathology; Liver Cirrhosis - physiopathology; Liver diseases; liver fibrosis; Magnetic Fields; Magnetic resonance imaging; Male; Parameter sensitivity; Radiation Dosage; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reproducibility of Results; Rodents; Sensitivity and Specificity; Statistical methods; Steam; STEAM DWI; T1rho mapping; T2 mapping; T1rho mapping; liver fibrosis; diffusion time; T2 mapping; fibrosis staging; STEAM DWI
• ISSN: 1053-1807; 1522-2586
• DOI: 10.1002/jmri.25424

Purpose To evaluate the value of T2, T1rho, and diffusion metrics in assessment of liver fibrosis in rats. Materials and Methods Liver fibrosis in a rat model (n = 72) was induced by injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) at 3T. T2, T1rho, and diffusion parameters (apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), Dtrue) via spin echo (SE) diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) and stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) DWI with three diffusion times (DT: 80, 106, 186 msec) were obtained in surviving rats with hepatic fibrosis (n = 52) and controls (n = 8). Liver fibrosis stage (F0–F6) was identified based on pathological results using the traditional liver fibrosis staging method for rodents. Nonparametric statistical methods and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were employed to determine the diagnostic accuracy. Results Mean T2, T1rho, ADC, and Dtrue with DT = 186 msec correlated with the severity of fibrosis with r = 0.73, 0.83, −0.83, and −0.85 (all P < 0.001), respectively. The average areas under the ROC curve at different stages for T1rho and diffusion parameters (DT = 186 msec) were larger than those of T2 and SE DWI (0.92, 0.92, and 0.92 vs. 0.86, 0.82, and 0.83). The corresponding average sensitivity and specificity for T1rho and diffusion parameters with a long DT were larger (89.35 and 88.90, 88.36 and 89.97, 90.16 and 87.13) than T2 and SE DWI (90.28 and 79.93, 85.30 and 77.64, 78.21 and 82.41). The performances of T1rho and Dtrue (DT = 186 msec) were comparable (average AUC: 0.92 and 0.92). Conclusion Among the evaluated sequences, T1rho and STEAM DWI with a long DT may serve as superior imaging biomarkers for assessing liver fibrosis and monitoring disease severity. Level of Evidence: 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:741–750.