Fatty metamorphosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: detection with chemical shift gradient-echo MR imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the value of chemical shift gradient-echo (GRE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with the fast low-angle shot (FLASH) technique to detect fatty metamorphosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).


METHODS
Sixty-three cirrhotic patients with 69 HCCs underwent MR imaging at 1.0 T with chemical shift GRE technique. Both opposed-phase and in-phase FLASH imaging with breath holding was performed, and the percentage variation in signal intensity of the nodules between the two images was calculated.


RESULTS
Chemical shift GRE imaging depicted fat in 10 HCCs (14%). In these cases, the percentage variation in signal intensity increased notably and was 88.6%-369.3% (mean, 174.7%), which indicated fatty content (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 100% when compared with fine-needle aspiration cytology). In the remaining 59 nodules, the percentage of signal intensity variation ranged from 12.7% to -19.1% (mean, -4.0%).


CONCLUSIONS
Chemical shift GRE MR imaging can be used to detect fatty metamorphosis in HCC.
Martín
J
J
Unitat de Diagnòstic per la Imatge d'Alta Tecnologia (UDIAT), Barcelona, Spain.
Sentís
M
M
Zidan
A
A
Donoso
L
L
Puig
J
J
Falcó
J
J
Bella
R
R
D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity