In Vivo MRI Assessment of Hepatic and Splenic Disease in a XXXX Model of @entity2040 [corrected].

@entity1 @entity1944 @entity32 @entity82 @entity101 @entity1575 @entity19 @entity281 @entity381 @entity380 @entity1213 @entity2040 @entity4801
BACKGROUND: @entity2040 (or bilharzia), a major @entity4801 , affects more than 260 million @entity1 worldwide. In chronic cases of @entity1213 caused by trematodes of the @entity380 genus, @entity1575 develops as a host immune response to the helminth eggs, followed by potentially lethal portal @entity101 . In this study, we characterized hepatic and splenic features of a @entity19 model of @entity1213 using in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and evaluated the transverse relaxation time T2 as a non-invasive imaging biomarker for monitoring hepatic fibrogenesis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: CBA/J @entity19 were imaged at 11.75 T two, six and ten weeks after percutaneous @entity281 with @entity380 . In vivo imaging studies were completed with histology at the last two time points. Anatomical MRI allowed detection of typical manifestations of the @entity1944 such as significant hepato- and @entity381 , and dilation of the portal vein as early as six weeks, with further aggravation at 10 weeks after @entity281 . Liver multifocal lesions observed by MRI in infected animals at 10 weeks post @entity281 corresponded to @entity32 and intergranulomatous @entity82 with METAVIR scores up to A2F2. While most healthy hepatic tissue showed T2 values below 14 ms, these lesions were characterized by a T2 greater than 16 ms. The area fraction of increased T2 correlated (rS = 0.83) with the area fraction of Sirius Red stained collagen in histological sections. A continuous liver T2* decrease was also measured while brown pigments in macrophages were detected at histology. These findings suggest accumulation of hematin in infected livers. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our multiparametric MRI approach confirms that this @entity19 model replicates hepatic and splenic manifestations of @entity1 @entity1213 . Quantitative T2 mapping proved sensitive to assess liver fibrogenesis non-invasively and may therefore constitute an objective imaging biomarker for treatment monitoring in diseases involving @entity1575 .
