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Timing bolus dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) MRI assessment of hepatic perfusion: Initial experience
Author(s) -
Baxter Simon,
Wang Zhen J.,
Joe Bonnie N.,
Qayyum Aliya,
Taouli Bachir,
Yeh Benjamin M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.21795
Subject(s) - medicine , cirrhosis , perfusion , bolus (digestion) , nuclear medicine , radiology , blood flow , receiver operating characteristic
Purpose To assess whether dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) MRI timing bolus data from routine clinical examinations can be postprocessed to obtain hepatic perfusion parameters for diagnosing cirrhosis. Materials and Methods We retrospectively identified 57 patients (22 with cirrhosis and 35 without cirrhosis) who underwent abdominal MRI, which included a low‐dose (2 mL gadodiamide) timing bolus using a volumetric spoiled gradient echo T1‐weighted sequence through the abdomen. Using a dual‐input single‐compartment model, the following perfusion parameters were measured: arterial, portal, and total blood flow; arterial fraction; mean transit time; and distribution volume. Those parameters were compared between patients with and without cirrhosis using t ‐tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to identify the perfusion parameters that can best predict the presence of cirrhosis. Results The hepatic arterial fraction, arterial flow, and distribution volume in patients with cirrhosis (27.7 ± 8.3%, 44.8 ± 14.1 mL/minute/100 g, and 16.3 ± 4.5%, respectively) were significantly higher than those without cirrhosis (18.7 ± 4.4%, 28.5 ± 11.7 mL/minute/100 g, and 14.0 ± 4.2%, respectively; P < 0.05 for all). ROC analysis showed arterial fraction as the best predictor of cirrhosis, with sensitivity of 73% and specificity of 86%. Conclusion Timing bolus DCE MR images from routine examinations can be postprocessed to yield potentially useful hepatic perfusion parameters. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;29:1317–1322. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.