To investigate the effect of perfusion pressure on liver stiffness, 13 ex-vivo rat livers were studied by volumetric MRI, MR elastography (MRE) and diffusion MRI under controlled portal pressures between 0 and 15 cmH2O. Liver volume, tissue-vascular volume fraction, stiffness and bulk modulus decreased while water diffusivity increased with increasing portal pressure. Collectively, our findings suggest that liver softening is caused by a relative increase in fluid volume while an increased vascular pressure, potentially increasing liver stiffness, is of minor importance when tissue can freely expand, as in our scenario.
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