Cellular Exchange Imaging (CEXI): Evaluation of a diffusion model including water exchange in cells using numerical phantoms of permeable spheres.

This study highlights the importance of modeling the exchange time to accurately quantify microstructure properties in permeable cellular substrates. Future studies should evaluate CEXI in clinical applications such as lymph nodes, investigate exchange time as a potential biomarker of tumor severity, and develop more appropriate tissue models that account for anisotropic diffusion and highly permeable membranes.