MR imaging of hepatocellular carcinomas: effect of Cu and Fe contents on signal intensity.
BACKGROUND
To elucidate the metallic factors contributing to the signal intensities of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images and to determine whether or not changes in signal intensity contribute to the diagnosis of histological grading of HCC.


METHODS
In 35 patients immediately after surgery, the quantities of water, lipid, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) were determined in HCCs and the surrounding hepatic parenchyma. The correlations among these findings, the histopathological findings, and the signal intensities of T1-weighted MR images were evaluated.


RESULTS
Among the 35 HCCs, 12 (34%) were of high intensity, 14 (40%) were isointense, and 9 (26%) were of low intensity on T1-weighted images versus the surrounding hepatic parenchyma. The paramagnetic ions, which contributed to the signal intensity patterns, were assumed to be Cu in HCCs (30.5 +/- 52.9 microg/g ww), and Fe in the livers (106.2 +/- 86.8 microg/g ww) and HCCs (87.7 +/- 49.1 microg/g ww). In 12 HCCs with high intensity, one was grade I, eight were grade II, and three were grade III according to Edmondson-Steiner's histopathological classification.


CONCLUSIONS
Signal intensity and signal intensity patterns alone cannot be signs of low-grade malignancy because of the Fe in livers and in HCCs.
Honda
H
H
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812 Japan.
Kaneko
K
K
Kanazawa
Y
Y
Hayashi
T
T
Fukuya
T
T
Matsumata
T
T
Maeda
T
T
Masuda
K
K
D000368:Aged; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging
D008345:Manganese; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron