Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Radiol. Nov 28, 2016; 8(11): 857-867
Published online Nov 28, 2016. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v8.i11.857
Diffusion-weighted imaging of the liver: Current applications
Kazuhiro Saito, Yu Tajima, Taiyo L Harada
Kazuhiro Saito, Yu Tajima, Taiyo L Harada, Department of Radiology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to this work; wrote and reviewed the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Kazuhiro Saito, MD, Department of Radiology, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan. saito-k@tokyo-med.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-3-33426111
Received: June 3, 2016
Peer-review started: June 6, 2016
First decision: July 26, 2016
Revised: October 11, 2016
Accepted: October 22, 2016
Article in press: October 23, 2016
Published online: November 28, 2016
Abstract

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the liver can be performed using most commercially available machines and is currently accepted in routine sequence. This sequence has some potential as an imaging biomarker for fibrosis, tumor detection/characterization, and following/predicting therapy. To improve reliability including accuracy and reproducibility, researchers have validated this new technique in terms of image acquisition, data sampling, and analysis. The added value of DWI in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was established in the detection of malignant liver lesions. However, some limitations remain in terms of lesion characterization and fibrosis detection. Furthermore, the methodologies of image acquisition and data analysis have been inconsistent. Therefore, researchers should make every effort to not only improve accuracy and reproducibility but also standardize imaging parameters.

Keywords: Diffusion weighted imaging, Liver, Fibrosis, Lesion characterization

Core tip: The current application of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is reviewed. DWI has some potential as an imaging biomarker for fibrosis, tumor detection/characterization, and following/predicting therapy. However, some limitations remain in terms of lesion characterization and fibrosis detection. To improve reliability including accuracy and reproducibility, researchers have validated this new technique in terms of image acquisition, data sampling, and analysis.