Application of DKI and IVIM in staging of hepatic fibrosis

Intravoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) is a MRI method that enables simultaneous assessment of diffusion and perfusion. Diffusion Kurtosis imaging (DKI) is based on a mathematical approach that uses a polynomial model with a dimensionless factor called the kurtosis (K). This study evaluated the relationship between IVIM-DKI diffusion models and clinical-pathologic to assess their diagnostic accuracy for staging of hepatic fibrosis. We found that a high level of hepatic fibrosis usually have a higher MK values. A significant negative correlation was observed between FibroScan and MD. In conclusion, compared with IVIM, DKI might be more useful in staging of hepatic fibrosis.