title: The value of gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced delayed phase MR imaging for characterization of hepatocellular nodules in the cirrhotic liver.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the value of 1-hour delayed phase imaging (DPI) of gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA)-enhanced MR imaging for the characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and dysplastic nodule (DN) in patients with cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 37 patients with 42 HCCs and 13 DNs were included in this study and all lesions were histopathologically confirmed except for 15 HCCs. T1-weighted 3-dimensional gradient-echo images were acquired before, immediately after (30, 60, 180 s), and 1 hour after bolus injection of gadobenate dimeglumine at a dose of 0.1 mmol/kg. The lesions were classified as isointense, hypointense, or hyperintense compared with the surrounding liver parenchyma on DPI for qualitative assessment. We performed quantitative analyses of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and of the relative contrast enhancement of the lesion on the DPI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the qualitative analysis, among 42 HCCs, 30 (71.4%) were hypointense on DPI, and 10 (23.8%) and 2 (4.8%) were isointense and hyperintense, respectively; only 1 of 13 DNs (7.7%) was hypointense and 10 (76.9%) and 2 (15.4%) were isointense and hyperintense, respectively. In contrast, 25 HCCs (71.4%) of 35 hypervascular HCCs were hypointense on DPI, and no hypervascular DN (0/7) was hypointense with statistical significance (P = 0.0007). When we considered the hypointensity of the hepatic lesions on delayed phase as a sign of HCC in cirrhotic liver, our results gave a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 91.7%. In the quantitative analysis, the mean CNR of the HCCs and the DNs on the 1-hour DPI was -6.32 +/- 6.27 and -0.07 +/- 3.28, respectively; the difference between the HCCs and the DNs was significant (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Delayed gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MR imaging allows improved characterization of HCC in cirrhotic liver. The relative hypointensity to adjacent normal liver parenchyma is a reliable predictor that this lesion favors HCC rather than DN in cirrhotic liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Chongno-Gu, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Im
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeong Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jin Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Young Kon
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Se Hyung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jae Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joon Koo
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Byung Ihn
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA