Free-Breathing 3D Liver Perfusion Quantification Using a Dual-Input Two-Compartment Model

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 17502 - 8
• Main Authors: Ghodasara, Satyam, Pahwa, Shivani, Dastmalchian, Sara, Gulani, Vikas, Chen, Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 13.12.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 59/57; 692/308/53/2421; 692/53/2421; Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma - diagnostic imaging; Aged; Contrast Media; Feasibility Studies; Female; Fibrosis - diagnostic imaging; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Lesions; Liver; Liver - diagnostic imaging; Liver cancer; Liver diseases; Liver Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Metastases; Metastasis; Middle Aged; Models, Biological; multidisciplinary; Perfusion; Perfusion Imaging - methods; Permeability; Respiration; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Surface area; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17753-9

The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility of applying a dual-input two-compartment liver perfusion model to patients with different pathologies. A total of 7 healthy subjects and 11 patients with focal liver lesions, including 6 patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma and 5 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), were examined. Liver perfusion values were measured from both focal liver lesions and cirrhotic tissues (from the 5 HCC patients). Compared to results from volunteer livers, significantly higher arterial fraction, fractional volume of the interstitial space, and lower permeability-surface area product were observed for metastatic lesions, and significantly higher arterial fraction and lower vascular transit time were observed for HCCs ( P  < 0.05). Significantly lower arterial fraction and higher vascular transit time, fractional volume of the vascular space, and fractional volume of the interstitial space were observed for metastases in comparison to HCCs ( P  < 0.05). For cirrhotic livers, a significantly lower total perfusion, lower fractional volume of the vascular space, higher fractional volume of the interstitial space, and lower permeability-surface area product were noted in comparison to volunteer livers ( P  < 0.05). Our findings support the possibility of using this model with 3D free-breathing acquisitions for lesion and diffuse liver disease characterization.