Using ultrasound Nakagami imaging to assess liver fibrosis in rats

► Rat model has been widely used to explore liver fibrosis. ► We propose the ultrasonic Nakagami imaging as a tool to assess the liver fibrosis in rat model. ► We scan rat livers in vitro to acquire raw ultrasonic signals for B-scan and Nakagami imaging. ► The Nakagami image has the ability to visually score the degree of liver fibrosis in rats. ► The Nakagami image has the potential to serve as a functional imaging tool for animal studies of liver fibrosis.