title: Effect of disease progression on liver apparent diffusion coefficient values in a murine model of NASH at 11.7 Tesla MRI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of liver in a murine model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis using 11.7 Tesla (T) MRI.
  
  
  METHODS
  This animal study was IACUC approved. Seventeen male C57BL/6 mice were divided into control (n = 3) and experimental groups (n = 14) fed a methionine-deficient choline-deficient (MCD) diet to induce steatohepatitis. Livers underwent ex vivo diffusion-weighted MR imaging and ADC maps were calculated. A pathologist determined subjective scores of steatosis, classified from 0 to 3. Digital image analysis was used to determine percentage areas of steatosis. Graphs comparing ADC to subjective and digital image analysis (DIA) determinations of steatosis were plotted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjective assessments of steatosis ranged up to values of 3 and DIA determined areas of steatosis to range up to approximately 16%. ADC values approximated 800 × 10(-6) mm(2) /s (range, 749-811 × 10(-6) mm(2) /s, mean 786 × 10(-6) mm(2) /s) in controls and 500 × 10(-6) mm(2) /s (range, 478-733 × 10(-6) mm(2) /s, mean 625 × 10(-6) mm(2) /s) in experimental mice. Moderate correlation between ADC and subjective scores of steatosis (R = -0.56) was observed. Strong correlation between ADC values and percentage areas of steatosis was between ADC values and percentage areas of steatosis was observed greater (R = -0.81) and very strong correlation was observed with the exclusion of a single outlying data point (R = -0.91).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the comparison of ADC values and steatosis determinations by DIA, increasing degrees of steatosis are seen to result in decreased hepatic ADC values.
authors: Boston University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA, USA. stephan.anderson@bmc.org
authors: Stephan W
authors: SW
authors: Anderson
authors: Jorge A
authors: JA
authors: Soto
authors: Holly N
authors: HN
authors: Milch
authors: Al
authors: A
authors: Ozonoff
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: O'Brien
authors: James A
authors: JA
authors: Hamilton
authors: Hernan J
authors: HJ
authors: Jara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D004058:Diffusion; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL