Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1806797 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging | 2011 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to verify in healthy liver parenchyma the possible influence of age on DwI-related parameters: apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), perfusion fraction (PF), diffusion and pseudodiffusion coefficient (D and Dâ). Forty healthy adult volunteers (age range 26-86 years), divided into four age groups, were prospectively submitted to a breath-hold magnetic resonance diffusion imaging (MR-DwI) (two b values, 0-300 and 0-1000 s/mm2). A smaller cohort of 16 subjects underwent a free-breath multi-b acquisition (16 b values, 0-750 s/mm2). Quantitative analysis was performed by two observers with manually defined regions of interest, on the most homogeneous portion of the right liver lobe. Individual and group statistical analysis of data was performed: ANOVA to establish differences between groups and Pearson correlation coefficient to investigate the association between DwI parameters and age. The mean, S.D. and 95% limits of agreement of ADC values for each age-defined group are reported. ANOVA showed no significant differences between group means (P always >.05). No significant correlation between subjects' age and DwI parameters was established, both in breath-hold and free-breath acquisitions, on the whole range of adopted b values. Our study conducted on healthy liver parenchyma shows that there are no significant differences in ADC, PF, D and Dâ of younger or older subjects.
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Authors
Filippo Pasquinelli, Giacomo Belli, Lorenzo Nicola Mazzoni, Luigi Grazioli, Stefano Colagrande,