Time-Dependent Diffusion MRI-based Quantitative Multiparameters for Preoperative Assessment of VETC in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Motivation: It is unknown whether the time-dependent diffusion MRI (td-dMRI)-based quantitative multiparameters could be used for identifying the status of vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Goal(s): We investigated the diagnostic performance of td-dMRI for predicting the VETC status in HCC. Approach: Td-dMRI-based multiparameters, including cell diameter, intracellular fraction (fin), cellularity, and extracellular diffusivity (Dex), were estimated with the IMPLUSED two-compartment model. Results: Our results indicated that td-dMRI-based intracellular fraction (fin) and cellularity showed good performance in assessing VETC status preoperatively, with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.82 and 0.77, respectively, both achieving a sensitivity of 100%. Impact: Td-dMRI is a potential tool for evaluating VETC status in HCC, which may contribute to the optimization of personalized treatment strategies for patients with HCC, thus leading to improved prognosis.