title: Diagnostic efficacy of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI for the detection and characterisation of liver metastases: comparison with multidetector-row CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We compared the diagnostic performance of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and 16-slice multidetector CT (MDCT) with respect to their abilities to detect hepatic metastases and differentiate hepatic metastases from hepatic cysts and haemangiomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  67 patients with 110 liver metastases (size 0.3-2.5 cm), 33 haemangiomas (size 0.5-1.5 cm) and 17 cysts (size 0.3-1.0 cm) underwent 4-phase MDCT and gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI, including early dynamic phases, post-contrast T(2) weighted turbo spin echo sequences and 20 min hepatocyte-selective phases. Two observers independently analysed each image in random order. Sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy for lesion detection and differentiation for MDCT and gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI were calculated using receiver operating characteristic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For both observers, the Az values of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI (mean, 0.982 and 0.981) were significantly higher than the Az values of MDCT (mean, 0.839 and 0.892) (p<0.05) for the detection of metastases and for the differentiation of metastases from haemangiomas and cysts. Sensitivities of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI with regard to the detection and characterisation of liver metastases (mean, 96.9% and 96.0%) were significantly higher than those of MDCT (mean, 78.7% and 75.0%) (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI showed higher diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity than did MDCT for the detection of hepatic metastases and for the differentiation between hepatic metastases and hepatic haemangiomas or cysts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Chonbuk National University Hospital and Medical School, Seoul, Republic of Korea. jmyr@dreamwiz.com
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003287:Contrast Media; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; C073590:gadolinium ethoxybenzyl DTPA; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA