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Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging for diagnosing and staging the liver fibrosis and inflammation

  • Hepatobiliary
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Abdominal Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model parameters for the diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis and inflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Methods

Fifty-four patients with chronic hepatitis B and 42 healthy volunteers were included in the study. All subjects were examined by 3 T magnetic resonance imaging. Diffusion-weighted imaging was undertaken with sixteen b values. IVIM parameters [D (true diffusion coefficient), D* (pseudo-diffusion coefficient), f (perfusion fraction)] were calculated. Histological evaluation of biopsy samples was considered the reference standard for the staging of liver fibrosis and inflammation. Differences in IVIM parameters between patient and control groups were analyzed. In the patient group, fibrosis stage and inflammation grade groups were analyzed with respect to IVIM parameters. The correlation was assessed between IVIM parameters and Ishak-modified scale of fibrosis stages and inflammation grades.

Results

The D was significantly lower in the patient group than the control group, p = 0.038 with Cohen’s d effect size of 0.452. D was significantly different between fibrosis stage levels. D values decreased in fibrosis stages from the minimal to moderate to marked fibrosis. Fibrosis grades significantly negatively correlated with D and D* values, p = 0.001, and 0.021, respectively. In addition, inflammation grades negatively correlated with f values, p = 0.047.

Conclusion

D values measured with IVIM imaging may help to diagnose liver fibrosis. IVIM imaging could be an alternative to liver biopsy for the staging of liver fibrosis.

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Funding

The authors declared that this study has received no financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Kocaeli University School of Medicine, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Mesude Tosun, Hande Uslu & Burcu Alparslan

  2. Istanbul, Turkey

    Tugay Onal

  3. Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Kocaeli University School of Medicine, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Sıla Çetin Akhan

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  1. Mesude Tosun
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  2. Tugay Onal
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  3. Hande Uslu
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Contributions

MT: concept, acquisition of data, literature review, manuscript draft, revision, final approval. TO: acquisition of data, data analysis, literature review, manuscript draft, editing, final approval. HU: acquisition of data, literature review, final approval. BA: acquisition of data, literature review, final approval. SA: clinical care of patients, literature review, final approval.

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Correspondence to Mesude Tosun.

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Tosun, M., Onal, T., Uslu, H. et al. Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging for diagnosing and staging the liver fibrosis and inflammation. Abdom Radiol 45, 15–23 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-019-02300-z

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