Usefulness of diffusion derived vessel density computed from a simplified IVIM imaging protocol: An experimental study with rat biliary duct blockage induced liver fibrosis

Liver vessel density can be evaluated by DDVD (diffusion derived vessel density): DDVD(b0b1) = Sb0/ROIarea0 - Sb1/ROIarea1, where Sb0 and Sb1 refer to the liver signal when b is 0 or 1 s/mm2. Sb1 and ROIarea1 may be replaced by other b-values. With a rat biliary duct ligation (BDL) model, this study assesses the usefulness of liver DDVD computed from a simplified IVIM imaging protocol using b = 25 and b = 50 to replace b = 1 s/mm2, alone and in...