Preoperative detection of hepatocellular carcinoma: ferumoxides-enhanced mr imaging versus combined helical CT during arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging with combined helical CT during arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography for preoperative detection of hepatocellular carcinomas.


METHODS
Twenty patients with 30 hepatocellular carcinomas underwent ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging and combined helical CT during arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography. The diagnosis was established by pathologic examination after surgical resection in 18 patients and by biopsy in two. The MR protocol included fast spin-echo with two echo times, T2(*)-weighted fast multiplanar gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state, proton density-weighted fast multiplanar spoiled gradient-recalled echo, and T1-weighted fast multiplanar spoiled gradient-recalled echo images. The MR images of all sequences and the paired CT during arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography images were independently evaluated by three radiologists on a segment-by-segment basis. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed with receiver operating characteristic analysis.


RESULTS
The accuracies (A(z) values) of ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging and combined CT during arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography for all observers were 0.964 and 0.948, respectively. The mean sensitivities of MR imaging and CT were 93% and 91%, respectively. The differences were not statistically significant. The mean specificity of MR imaging (99%) was significantly higher than that of combined CT during arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography (94%).


CONCLUSIONS
Ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging can be used successfully in place of combined CT during arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography for the preoperative evaluation of patients with hepatocellular carcinomas.
Choi
D
D
All authors: Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50, Ilwon-Dong, Kangnam-Ku, Seoul 135-710, Korea.
Kim
S
S
Lim
J
J
Lee
W
W
Jang
H
H
Lee
S
S
Lim
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D003911:Dextrans; D005260:Female; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010087:Oxides; D011172:Portography / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013535:Suspensions; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D003911:Dextrans; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D010087:Oxides; D013535:Suspensions; D007501:Iron; C065507:ferumoxides; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide