Texture analysis of multi-phase MRI images to detect expression of Ki67 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Highlights: • Hepatocellular carcinoma with higher Ki67 label index tend to display a lower differentiation pattern. • Larger tumors usually had higher Ki67 label index. • Texture parameters generated from arterial phase imaging was the most frequently significant correlation. • Optimal misclassification result was used texture parameters derived from nonlinear discriminant analysis. • Texture analysis could be used to discriminate Ki67 proliferation status in hepatocellular carcinoma. -- Abstract: To determine whether texture analysis of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images could be used to detect Ki67 expression, a widely used cell proliferation marker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).