Quantitative T2 and Proton Density Mapping of a Murine Model of Hepatic Fibrosis Progression: An Application of Adaptive Iterative PD and T2 QMRI Algorithms

Hernan Jara¹, Yu Sakai¹, Stephan Anderson¹

Purpose: To monitor hepatic fibrosis progression in murine model via PD and T2, using adaptive iterative qMRI processing algorithms and whole-sample histogram analysis. Methods: Multi-echo CPMG images of murine livers with DDC-induced fibrosis at 11.7T were processed by algorithms which auto-detect the optimal number of echoes used for semi-logarithmic linear regression on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Whole-sample histograms were generated from multislice PD and T2 qMRI volumetric datasets and correlated with fibrosis measures. Results: Histogram PD-, T2-peak values displayed linear inverse correlation with fibrosis progression. Conclusion: In absence of steatosis, PD and T2 calculated by adaptive iterative algorithms are reliable correlates of hepatic fibrosis.