title: MRI of Budd-Chiari syndrome.
abstract: A retrospective study was undertaken to reassess the various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). MRI examinations of 22 patients with pathologically confirmed BCS were studied. Spin-echo (SE) T1- (TR = 300-450 ms/TE = 12-15 ms), and SE T2-weighted (TR = 1600-2000 ms/TE = 30-60/90-120 ms) MRI images were obtained in all patients. Gradient-recalled-echo (GRE) images (TR = 7-60 ms/TE = 3-19 ms, flip angle = 10-40 degrees) were obtained in 14 patients. MRI showed thrombosis of three or two hepatic veins in 19 (86%) and 3 (14%) patients, respectively. Spontaneous intrahepatic anastomoses was depicted in five (23%) patients. Ascites appeared in 15 patients (68%). Thrombosis or external compression of the inferior vena cava (IVC) by an enlarged caudate lobe was depicted in six (27%) and five (23%) patients, respectively. Prominent azygos and hemiazygos veins were demonstrated in seven (32%) patients (six of whom had thrombosis of the IVC). MRI showed hepatomegaly in all patients and enlarged caudate lobe in 18 (82%) patients. SE T1- and SE T2-weighted MRI images revealed inhomogeneous signal intensity of hepatic parenchyma in 14 (64%) patients. SE T1- and SE T2-weighted MRI images showed homogeneous signal intensity of hepatic parenchyma in eight (36%) patients. Our results demonstrate that BCS displays various features on MRI images, and such information is important for diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hopital Louis Mourier, Colombes, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soyer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabenandrasana
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barge
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Laissy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zeitoun
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levesque
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006502:Budd-Chiari Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000473:pathology