title: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging: evaluation of hepatic enhancement effects in normal and cirrhotic livers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess differences in enhancement effects of liver parenchyma between normal and cirrhotic livers on contrast-enhanced MR imaging (CE-MRI) obtained with Gd-EOB-DTPA.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 99 patients with cirrhotic liver (n=58; Child-Pugh class A, n=30; B, n=22; C, n=6) and normal liver (n=41) underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging. CE images were obtained before contrast injection, in the arterial phase (AP) at 25s or modified scan delay, in the portal phase (PP) at 70s, in the equilibrium phase (EP) at 3 min, and in the hepatobiliary phase (HP) at 3 times (10, 15 and 20 min). Signal intensity of the liver in all phases was defined using region-of-interest measurements for relative enhancement (RE) calculation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In normal-liver and Child-Pugh class A and B patients, mean RE of liver parenchyma increased significantly (P<0.03-0.001) with time until 20-min HP. Conversely, mean RE for Child-Pugh class C patients did not show any increasing tendency after PP. Mean RE of liver parenchyma at EP and HP (10-, 15- and 20-min) was highest in normal liver, followed by Child-Pugh class A, B and C cirrhosis (P<0.02-0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hepatic parenchymal enhancement on CE-MR images obtained using Gd-EOB-DTPA is affected by the severity of cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki City, Okayama 701-0192, Japan. ttamada@med.kawasaki-m.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamada
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Higaki
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanki
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Higashi
authors.forename: Teruki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; C073590:gadolinium ethoxybenzyl DTPA; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA