Histological Validation of MR Cell Size and Cellularity Imaging with Human Liver Specimens

The size and cellularity of hepatocytes, their variations and changes over time, are fundamental characteristics of liver tissues, and measurements of cell sizes and cellularities may have high clinical significance but currently can be obtained only by liver biopsy. We quantified the microstructures of human liver specimens with different liver diseases, including normal liver tissues, cirrhosis, steatosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cirrhotic regenerative nodules (CRN), and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), using MR cell size imaging ex vivo. The accuracy of MR-derived cell sizes and cellularities were evaluated by comparisons to histology.