Characterization of cirrhotic nodules with gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging: The efficacy of hepatocyte-phase imaging

✍ Scribed by Chen-Te Chou; Yao-Li Chen; Wei-Wen Su; Hwa-Koon Wu; Ran-Chou Chen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 410 KB
• Volume: 32
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1053-1807
• DOI: 10.1002/jmri.22316

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy of hepatocyte‐phase imaging (HP) in characterization of focal hepatic lesions in cirrhotic liver using gadoxetic acid‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

A total of 66 nodules of 38 patients with liver cirrhosis undergoing gadoxetic acid‐enhanced MRI were prospectively enrolled in this study. The histological examination revealed 15 dysplastic nodules (DNs), 7 well‐differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas (wHCCs), and 44 moderately differentiated HCCs (mHCCs). Two imaging sets (Set A without HP, Set B with HP) were prepared to evaluate the efficacy of HP in lesion characterization.

Results

The mean enhancement ratios (ERs) of mHCC were significantly increased in arterial phase followed by a subsequent decreased in hepatocyte phases. The mean ERs of wHCC were increased in dynamic study and followed by a plateau in the hepatocyte phase. The mean ERs of DNs were increased in dynamic study and hepatocyte phase. The mean liver‐to‐lesion contrasts of mHCCs were increased in arterial phase and HP (P < 0.05). wHCCs were only increased in HP (P < 0.05). DNs showed no significant difference in any phase (P > 0.05). There were seven additional HCCs that were detected in HP using imaging Set B compared to Set A. The diagnostic performance of Set B was significantly higher than that of Set A (P = 0.016).

Conclusion

The combination of gadoxetic acid‐enhanced dynamic study and hepatocyte‐phase T1WI may provide better diagnostic performance than only dynamic study in characterization of focal lesions in cirrhotic liver. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;32:895–902. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.