title: Comparison of magnetic resonance elastography and diffusion-weighted imaging for staging hepatic fibrosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare the diagnostic values of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in staging hepatic fibrosis (HF) in an animal model.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study consisted of 44 rabbits served as HF group and 9 normal rabbits. HF group was divided into two subgroups: Group A (n = 32) and Group B (n = 12). Rabbits in Group B were served as a complementary group when rabbits in Group A suddenly died during the study. Rabbits from control and Group A underwent abdominal MR imaging (MRI), MRE, and DWI. In Group A, random eight rabbits underwent MRI examinations at 4, 5, 6, 10 weeks after carbon tetrachloride oil subcutaneous injection. Liver stiffness (LS) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of liver parenchyma were measured. The diagnostic performance of MRE and DWI for staging HF was compared using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis on the basis of the histopathological analysis of HF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences of LS and DWI values were present among HF stages (P < 0.005). The LS values measured on MRE (r = 0.838, P < 0.001) were more strongly correlated with the HF stages than with ADC values (r = -0.527, P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values of LS were significantly larger than those of DWI were for discriminating two stages of HF (0.979 vs. 0.712 for ≥ S1, 0.922 vs. 0.699 for ≥ S2). MRE showed higher specificity for predicting all stages of HF compared to DWI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRE more strongly correlated with the HF stages than DWI and is more specific in predicting all HF stages.
authors.forename: Li-Qiu
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Jin-Zhao
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Affiliated Third Hospital of Suzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213003, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xing
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011817:Rabbits