فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Currently, there is no gold standard for diagnosing minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can non-invasively evaluate changes in brain volume and damage to brain function. Objectives: The current study aims to evaluate changes in cerebral blood flow and brain function as predictors of MHE using DWI. Results: Compared to the control group, the distributed diffusion coefficient ( DDC ) of the bilateral frontal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, cingulate gyrus, and thalamus in the MHE group was statistically different (P < 0.05). The pseudo-diffusion coefficient ( D* ) and DDC demonstrated good diagnostic efficacy for MHE. D* had the highest area under the curve (AUC) in the bilateral parietal lobe, bilateral cingulate gyrus, and left occipital lobe. In contrast, DDC had the highest AUC in the right occipital and bilateral temporal lobes. Conclusion: Intravoxel incoherent motion DWI is an imaging method that can detect MHE. In addition, D* and DDC are better diagnostic parameters for screening MHE. Intravoxel incoherent motion DWI will be helpful in uncovering deeper intrinsic pathophysiological mechanisms and improving predictive efficiency.