title: Non-contrast-enhanced MR portography and hepatic venography with time-spatial labeling inversion pulses: comparison of imaging with the short tau inversion recovery method and the chemical shift selective method.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare and evaluate images of non-contrast enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) portography and hepatic venography acquired with two different fat suppression methods, the chemical shift selective (CHESS) method and short tau inversion recovery (STIR) method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two healthy volunteers were examined using respiratory-triggered three-dimensional true steady-state free-precession with two time-spatial labeling inversion pulses. The CHESS or STIR methods were used for fat suppression. The relative signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were quantified, and the quality of visualization was scored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Image acquisition was successfully conducted in all volunteers. The STIR method significantly improved the CNRs of MR portography and hepatic venography. The image quality scores of main portal vein and right portal vein were higher with the STIR method, but there were no significant differences. The image quality scores of right hepatic vein, middle hepatic vein, and left hepatic vein (LHV) were all higher, and the visualization of LHV was significantly better (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The STIR method contributes to further suppression of the background signal and improves visualization of the portal and hepatic veins. The results support using non-contrast-enhanced MR portography and hepatic venography in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: hshimizu@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: sayuki@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Isoda
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: goohno@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: rickdom@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Rikiya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: butaemon@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Seiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: akihirof@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furuta
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: kfb@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: akikido@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Aki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kido
authors.affiliation: Department of MRI System Development, Toshiba Medical System Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: hiroshi.kusahara@glb.toshiba.co.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kusahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: ktogashi@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Togashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000473:pathology; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010690:Phlebography / Q000379:methods*; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: CHESS method; Non-contrast-enhanced MR hepatic venography; Non-contrast-enhanced MR portography; STIR method; Time-spatial labeling inversion pulses