title: Relationship between severity of liver dysfunction and the relative ratio of liver to aortic enhancement (RE) on MRI using hepatocyte-specific contrast.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate differences in liver enhancement among patients with low and high morbidity risks and to determine the relationship between severity of liver dysfunction and the relative ratio of liver to aortic enhancement (RE) on MRI using hepatocyte-specific contrast.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 126 patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood serum testing including serology, bilirubin, international normalized ratio, and creatinine tests. Radiologists analyzed a region of interest in the liver and aorta on precontrast and 10- and 20-minute delayed hepatobiliary phase MR images. Liver enhancement after 10 (LE10min ) and 20 minutes (LE20min ) were compared between the low- and high-risk groups by independent t-test. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the Model for Endstage Liver Disease (MELD) score and RE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 126 patients were classified into either the low-risk group (MELD <8; n = 85) or high-risk group (MELD ≥8; n = 41). The mean LE10min and LE20min were significantly higher in the low-risk group (471.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 449.79-493.43 and 510.69; 95% CI: 486.51-534.87, respectively) than in the high-risk group (401.6776; 95% CI: 364.75-438.61 and 413.81; 95% CI: 370.91-456.70). There was a moderate inverse correlation between MELD score and the relative ratio of liver enhancement (RLE) (r = -0.5442; 95% CI: -0.6480 to -0.4207; P<0.01), but a high positive correlation between MELD score and RE (r = 0.7470; 95% CI: 0.6665-0.8102; P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although liver enhancement was significantly greater in low-risk patients compared to high-risk patients, RE may be a better predictor of liver function than RLE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Department of Radiology, Institute of Gastroenterology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Myeong-Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Nyun
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyung Sik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Seung Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Jai Keun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000737:chemistry; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA
keywords: gadolinium DTPA; hepatocytes; liver function tests; magnetic resonance imaging