Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the liver in hepatitis B patients with Child-Pugh a cirrhosis.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that cirrhotic change of liver in hepatitis B patients observed in Child-Pugh classification based on clinical assessment would be reflected in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values calculated from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Twenty-seven patients with hepatitis B Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis and 10 control subjects were referred for measurement values of the liver on a 3.0-T MR unit. The results revealed that ADCs were significantly lower in hepatitis B patients with Child-Pugh class A compared with control subjects (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our preliminary study showed that hepatitis B patients with Child-Pugh class A had reduced ADC values in liver vis-a-vis normal subjects.