title: Dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of the spleen: normal enhancement patterns and evaluation of splenic lesions.
abstract: The authors studied the ability to improve detection of splenic lesions during suspended respiration with dynamic gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted spin-echo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In the first phase of the study, normal splenic contrast material enhancement patterns were assessed in 10 control patients without splenic lesions. A heterogeneous signal intensity pattern was observed in 11 patients with splenic lesions during bolus injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine, with conversion to homogeneous enhancement 1 minute later. Mean splenic enhancement was 321% during bolus injection, with a rapid return toward baseline signal intensity thereafter. In the second phase, evaluation of 18 splenic lesions detected with contrast-enhanced computed tomography in 11 patients revealed that dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR pulse sequences significantly improved lesion conspicuity and detectability compared with conventional T1-and T2-weighted pulse sequences. Contrast-to-artifact ratio measurements were 0.5, 3.7, and 9.3 for conventional T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR images, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mirowitz
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Heiken
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology*; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA