Andrew B. Rosenkrantz1,
Eric E. Sigmund1, Benjamin E. Niver1, Glyn R. Morgan2,
Bradley Spieler1, Anthony G. Gilet1, Cristina H. Hajdu3
1Radiology,
Eight fresh liver explants in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) underwent ex-vivo 1.5T MRI, including diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). ADC using mono-exponential (ADC) and non-Gaussian (D) fit, as well as mean kurtosis (K), were calculated. There was significant correlation between ADC and D, but not between ADC or D with K. Relative contrast between liver and HCC was greater for K than for ADC or D. ADC and D were lowest in non-necrotic HCC, while K was not different between viable and necrotic HCC. Alternate diffusion protocols may have potential for DKI of HCC following chemo-embolization in a clinical setting.