title: Gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced liver MR imaging in cirrhotic patients: quantitative and qualitative comparison of 1-hour and 3-hour delayed images.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the image quality and diagnostic performance of 1- and 3-h delayed-phase MR images (DPIs) after gadobenate dimeglumine injection in detecting small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in cirrhotic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Relative enhancement of the liver (RE(liver) ) and HCC (RE(HCC) ) and liver-to-lesion contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of HCC were measured quantitatively on 1- and 3-h DPIs in 65 patients with 88 HCCs. For qualitative analysis, two radiologists independently evaluated three image sets in 19 patients with 25 HCCs ≤ 2 cm and in 16 controls without HCCs: conventional liver MR without DPI (set A), adding 1-h DPI (set B), and adding 3-h DPI (set C), using a 5-point scale for diagnosing small HCCs. Diagnostic performance for small HCCs was analyzed using the alternative free-response receiver operating characteristic method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean RE(liver) (P = 0.013) and RE(HCC) (P < 0.001) were significantly higher on 1-h than on 3-h DPI, whereas CNR was significantly higher on 3-h than on 1-h DPI (P = 0.001). Observer-averaged figure of merit (FOM) was significantly higher for set C than for set A (0.942 versus 0.883; P = 0.013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In cirrhotic patients, 3-h DPI provides a higher liver-to-lesion contrast and a better diagnostic performance for small HCCs than 1-h DPI.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Woo Kyoung
authors: WK
authors: Jeong
authors: Jae Ho
authors: JH
authors: Byun
authors: Seung Soo
authors: SS
authors: Lee
authors: Hyung Jin
authors: HJ
authors: Won
authors: Kyoung Won
authors: KW
authors: Kim
authors: Yong Moon
authors: YM
authors: Shin
authors: Pyo Nyun
authors: PN
authors: Kim
authors: Moon-Gyu
authors: MG
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008536:Meglumine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; C064572:gadobenic acid; D008536:Meglumine