title: Detection of small intrahepatic metastases of hepatocellular carcinomas using diffusion-weighted imaging: comparison with conventional dynamic MRI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of our study was to compare diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) with conventional dynamic MRI in terms of the assessment of small intrahepatic metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  In 24 patients with multifocal, small (≤2 cm) intrahepatic metastatic foci of advanced HCC, a total of 134 lesions (≤1 cm, n=81; >1 cm, n=53) were subjected to a comparative analysis of hepatic MRI including static and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced dynamic imaging, and DWI using a single-shot spin-echo echo-planar MRI (b values=50, 400 and 800 s/mm(2)), by two independent reviewers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A larger number of the lesions were detected and diagnosed as intrahepatic metastases on DWI [Reviewer 1, 121 (90%); Reviewer 2, 117 (87%)] than on dynamic imaging [Reviewer 1, 107 (80%); Reviewer 2, 105 (78%)] (P<.05). For the 81 smaller lesions (≤1 cm), DWI was able to detect more lesions than dynamic imaging [Reviewer 1, 68 (84%) vs. 56 (69%), P=.008; Reviewer 2, 65 (80%) vs. 55 (68%), P=.031], but there was no statistically significant difference between the two image sets for larger (>1 cm) lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to its higher detection rate of subcentimeter lesions, DWI could be considered complementary to dynamic MRI in the diagnosis of intrahepatic metastases of HCCs.
authors: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 712 Eonjuro, Seoul 135-720, South Korea. yjsrad97@yuhs.ac
authors: Jeong-Sik
authors: JS
authors: Yu
authors: Jae-Joon
authors: JJ
authors: Chung
authors: Joo Hee
authors: JH
authors: Kim
authors: Eun-Suk
authors: ES
authors: Cho
authors: Dae Jung
authors: DJ
authors: Kim
authors: Jhii-Hyun
authors: JH
authors: Ahn
authors: Ki Whang
authors: KW
authors: Kim