[Noninvasive monitoring of the hepatocellular carcinoma growth by the method of 1H and 23Na nuclear magnetic resonance].

Using diffusion weighted 1H, single-quantum 23Na and triple-quantum-filtered 23Na magnetic resonance imaging water apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), total tissue Na+ and intracellular Na+ were monitored in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats and in the surrounding liver tissue. The tumor water ADC was approximately 50% higher compared to the nearby healthy liver tissue but did not increase during 28 days of tumor growth (double time 3.9 days). The HCC growth was associated with an increase in both total tissue and intracellular 23Na signal intensity especially after 21 days post-cell inoculation reflecting possible changes in extracellular space and in intracellular ionic metabolism.