Breath-hold T2-weighted MRI of hepatic tumors: value of echo planar imaging with diffusion-sensitizing gradient.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of echo planar imaging (EPI) as a breath-holding T2-weighted technique for imaging focal hepatic lesions.


METHODS
Forty-eight patients with focal hepatic lesions (9 metastases, 21 hepatocellular carcinomas, 1 cholangiocarcinoma, 16 hemangiomas, and 2 cysts) underwent single shot EPI with and without a small diffusion-sensitizing gradient (DSG) (beta values = 55 s/mm2) at 1.5 T. Comparison was made with breath-holding T2-weighted fast SE (FSE) sequences.


RESULTS
Lesion-to-liver signal intensity ratio of EPI was significantly better than that of T2-weighted FSE (p < 0.05) in patients with metastasis. Use of DSG suppressed bright signals from vessels or periportal tissue, resulting in better conspicuity of small lesions. EPI with DSG visualized more metastatic deposits than T2-weighted FSE (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
EPI with a small DSG is helpful for detection of small hepatic metastases.
Okada
Y
Y
Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Ohtomo
K
K
Kiryu
S
S
Sasaki
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis; D004058:Diffusion; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000473:pathology; D012119:Respiration; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology