Histogram analysis of T2*-based pharmacokinetic imaging in cerebral glioma grading

•A histogram analysis of the Ktrans permeability imaging derived from the T2* DSC-PW-MRI through entire tumor volume was proposed.•Histogram parameters of Ktrans measurements exhibited significant results for high- and low-grade glioma differentiation and correlations with glioma grades.•Ktrans reflects vascular permeability, supporting that angiogenesis with BBB permeability breakdown is increased in a high-grade tumor compared with that in a low-grade tumor.•Histogram metrics of vascular permeability and blood volume in the T2* DSC-PW-MRI measurements exhibit a reliable correlation with tumor grade on the basis of the heterogeneity of the entire tumor volume.