Diffusion weighted imaging in cirrhotic liver and correlation study with pathologic findings

Objective To investigate the change and mechanism of ADC value in cirrhotic liver and its pathological basis. Methods Diffusion weighted imaging was performed in 12 normal liver and 11 patients with pathologically proved liver cirrhosis, and the ADC values of the liver were measured. The b values were 0, 50, 1000 s/mm2. The ADC_1 and ADC_2 were calculated with different b values. The findings were compared with pathology. Results The mean ADC_1, ADC_2 in cirrhotic liver was significantly lower than that in normal liver. The main histopathological changes were fibrous tissue proliferation, distortion of lobules and pseudolobular formation. Conclusion The main causes of decreased ADC value in cirrhotic liver were: ①the fibrous tissue in the liver limited the movement of water, ②the blood perfusion in the liver decreased.