Hemodynamic characterization of focal hepatic lesions: Role of ferucarbotran-enhanced dynamic MR imaging using T2-weighted multishot spin-echo echo-planar sequence

✍ Scribed by Masatoshi Hori; Takamichi Murakami; Tonsok Kim; Riccardo Iannaccone; Hisashi Abe; Hiromitsu Onishi; Kaname Tomoda; Carlo Catalano; Roberto Passariello; Hironobu Nakamura

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 463 KB
• Volume: 23
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1053-1807
• DOI: 10.1002/jmri.20542

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the role of ferucarbotran‐enhanced dynamic MR imaging using multishot spin‐echo echo‐planar sequence in the evaluation of hemodynamics of focal hepatic lesions.

Materials and Methods

Sixty‐three focal hepatic lesions (24 benign and 39 malignant) from 53 consecutive patients who underwent both ferucarbotran‐enhanced MR imaging and dynamic computed tomography (CT) were included in this study. MR imaging was performed with a 1.5‐T scanner with a phased‐array coil. T2‐weighted multishot spin‐echo echo‐planar sequences (TR/TE = 1714–2813/80 msec) were obtained during a single breathhold before and 15, 60, 120, 180, and 600 seconds after intravenous injection of ferucarbotran. The enhancement patterns of lesions were classified into three categories by a study coordinator on the basis of dynamic CT images as hypervascular, hypovascular, and hemangioma type. The study coordinator created mean contrast‐to‐noise ratio of lesions vs. time curves for each enhancement pattern for quantitative analyses. Moreover, three radiologists separately and blindly reviewed MR images, and then assigned three confidence scores for the three enhancement patterns to each lesion. Sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed.

Results

Quantitative analyses showed characteristic enhancement curves for each enhancement pattern. Mean sensitivities/specificities were 0.816/0.882, 0.897/0.863, and 0.800/0.989 for hypervascular, hypovascular, and hemangioma types, respectively. Mean areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.886 for hypervascular type and 0.913 for hypovascular type.

Conclusion

Ferucarbotran‐enhanced dynamic MR imaging can be used to successfully characterize the hemodynamics of focal hepatic lesions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.