Capillarization of the sinusoids in liver fibrosis: Noninvasive assessment with contrast-enhanced MRI in the rabbit

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine 2003-04, Vol.49 (4), p.692-699
• Main Authors: Van Beers, Bernard E., Materne, Roland, Annet, Laurence, Hermoye, Laurent, Sempoux, Christine, Peeters, Frank, Smith, Anne M., Jamart, Jacques, Horsmans, Yves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Capillary Permeability; Cholesterol; Contrast Media; Digestive system; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Heterocyclic Compounds; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Liver - blood supply; liver cirrhosis; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - chemically induced; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - diagnosis; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - metabolism; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Microcirculation; Organometallic Compounds; Other diseases. Semiology; physiopathology; Rabbits; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.10420

Sinusoidal capillarization induces microcirculatory changes in liver cirrhosis and fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to assess whether contrast‐enhanced MRI can be used to demonstrate the effects of sinusoidal capillarization in liver fibrosis. Dynamic MRI after injection of a low‐molecular‐weight contrast agent of 0.56 kDa (Gd‐DOTA), and two high‐molecular‐weight contrast agents of 6.47 kDa and 52 kDa (P792 and P717) was performed in rabbits with liver fibrosis induced by cholesterol and diethylstilbestrol. The hepatic distribution volume accessible to the high‐molecular‐weight agents decreased in the rabbits with liver fibrosis (P792: 7.8% ± 1.7% vs. 10.1% ± 1.8% in normal rabbits, P = .038; P717: 6.2% ± 2.1% vs. 9.7% ± 1.6% in normal rabbits, P = .007), whereas the hepatic mean transit time (MTT) of the low‐molecular‐weight agent was increased (15.9 ± 8.0 s vs. 8.8 ± 2.6 s in normal rabbits, P = .015). In rabbits with liver fibrosis, the clearance of indocyanine green (ICG) was correlated with the volume accessible to the high‐molecular‐weight agents (P792: r = 0.810, P = .015; P717: r = 0.857, P = .007). The collagen content of the liver was inversely correlated with the distribution volume of P717 (r = –.833, P = .010) and with the ICG clearance (r = –.810, P = .015). It was concluded that the microcirculatory changes induced by sinusoidal capillarization in liver fibrosis can be demonstrated noninvasively with MRI. Magn Reson Med 49:692–699, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.