PURPOSE: To compare the fixed-time- and the test-injection method with respect to the image quality of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the adequacy of timing of the hepatic arterial phase (HAP) in Gd-EOB-DTPA (EOB) enhanced MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 63 patients with computed tomography (CT) -proven hypervascular HCC: 30 (group 1) were scanned HAP using the fixed-time delay method (protocol 1); in the other 33 (group 2), we applied the test-injection method (protocol 2). We compared the protocols with respect with tumor-to-liver contrast (TLC), contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR), and relative enhancement of the liver and tumor (REL , RET ) during HAP. Two radiologists compared the adequacy of HAP, image contrast, image noise, and overall image quality. RESULTS: Under protocol 2, TLC, CNR, and REL and RET of hypervascular HCC were significantly higher (P < 0.01). The proportion of optimal HAP was significantly higher for protocol 2 than protocol 1 (P < 0.01). The visual score of the image contrast and the overall image quality were significantly higher in group 2 than group 1 (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: At EOB-enhanced hepatic dynamic MRI, the test-injection method yielded better image quality of hypervascular HCC and improved adequacy of timing of HAP.
RCT Entities:
PURPOSE: To compare the fixed-time- and the test-injection method with respect to the image quality of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the adequacy of timing of the hepatic arterial phase (HAP) in Gd-EOB-DTPA (EOB) enhanced MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 63 patients with computed tomography (CT) -proven hypervascular HCC: 30 (group 1) were scanned HAP using the fixed-time delay method (protocol 1); in the other 33 (group 2), we applied the test-injection method (protocol 2). We compared the protocols with respect with tumor-to-liver contrast (TLC), contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR), and relative enhancement of the liver and tumor (REL , RET ) during HAP. Two radiologists compared the adequacy of HAP, image contrast, image noise, and overall image quality. RESULTS: Under protocol 2, TLC, CNR, and REL and RET of hypervascular HCC were significantly higher (P < 0.01). The proportion of optimal HAP was significantly higher for protocol 2 than protocol 1 (P < 0.01). The visual score of the image contrast and the overall image quality were significantly higher in group 2 than group 1 (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: At EOB-enhanced hepatic dynamic MRI, the test-injection method yielded better image quality of hypervascular HCC and improved adequacy of timing of HAP.
Authors: Hersh Chandarana; Li Feng; Justin Ream; Annie Wang; James S Babb; Kai Tobias Block; Daniel K Sodickson; Ricardo Otazo Journal: Invest Radiol Date: 2015-11 Impact factor: 6.016