Predicting microvascular invasion of HCC using whole-lesion histogram analysis with the interstitial fluid pressure and velocity model

Most solid tumors have increased interstitial fluid pressure (IFP), and the increased IFP is an obstacle to treatment. This study applied a non-invasive dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging-based model to acquire IFP and interstitial fluid velocity (IFV). Based on the IFP and IFV maps, histogram analysis was applied to evaluate the spatial distributions of pixel gray levels with reduced sampling bias. IFP- and IFV-derived parameters have proven to be significant predictors of microvascular invasion status. Therefore, this optimal model, together with histogram analysis, offers a new way for in vivo and non-invasive assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma.