Repeatability and reliability of liver quantitative maps in differentiation of hepatic fibrosis stage

Grading liver fibrosis using intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) have been shown inconsistent results possibly for differences between liver segments and recruited types of patients. We systematically evaluated all measurements retrieved based on liver segments and classified by stage of liver fibrosis, and inconsistent repeatability and reliability of IVIM-derived values were found, attributing to inter- and intra- manual measurement bias and inhomogeneous distribution of tissue components such as fibrosis. ROC curve analysis showed moderate diagnostic efficiency between early hepatic fibrosis (EHF) and advanced HF (AHF), but not HCs from EHF based on IVIM-derived parameters with acceptable repeatability and reliability.