title: Preoperative MRI of potential living-donor-related liver transplantation using a single dose of gadobenate dimeglumine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article evaluates the feasibility of single-dose gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI as both an angiographic and biliary contrast medium for making a preoperative evaluation of the donor candidates for a living-donor-related liver transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven right hepatic lobe donors underwent MRI examinations using T1- and T2-weighted imaging and T2-weighted MR cholangiography (MRC). The MR angiography (MRA) and contrast-enhanced (CE) T1-weighted MRC images then were obtained after injecting a single dose of gadobenate dimeglumine. One radiologist and one surgeon prospectively reviewed all the MRI examinations for hepatic vascular and biliary abnormalities and compared them with the surgical findings and intraoperative cholangiograms. In addition, two blinded reviewers evaluated the two sets of MRC (T2-weighted MRC set and T2-weighted MRC plus CE-T1-weighted MRC set) retrospectively and recorded the anatomic types of the hilar biliary branching pattern along with their confidence in the interpretation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prospective analysis detected the following vascular variants: hepatic arterial variation in two patients, portal venous variation in one, and a significantly large accessory hepatic vein (> 5 mm) in one. Biliary variants also were identified in two patients. All the MRI findings on the vascular and biliary anatomy were corroborated intraoperatively. Retrospective analysis showed that the mean diagnostic confidence in the combined set was significantly higher than that of the T2-weighted MRC alone by both reviewers (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obtaining both MRA and CE-T1-weighted MRC is feasible using a single dose of gadobenate dimeglumine. Therefore, gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI might play a role as a preoperative imaging technique for the vascular and biliary evaluation of potential living donors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seodaemun-ku Shinchondong 134, Seoul 120-752, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Myeong-Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joo Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soon Il
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Sub
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Mi-Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Taik
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Hyung Sik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Jong Tae
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ki Whang
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003287:Contrast Media; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008536:Meglumine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000033:anatomy & histology
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; C064572:gadobenic acid; D008536:Meglumine; D005682:Gadolinium