Enhancement patterns and pseudo-washout of hepatic haemangiomas on gadoxetate disodium-enhanced liver MRI.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the enhancement patterns and prevalence of pseudo-washout between rapidly and slowly enhancing hepatic haemangiomas on gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and healthy liver (HL).


METHODS
On gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI, the extent of intralesional arterial enhancement >50 % and ≤ 50 % of lesions was defined as rapid and slow enhancement, respectively. The enhancement patterns and presence of pseudo-washout during the portal venous phase (PVP) and transitional phase (TP) of 74 hepatic haemangiomas were retrospectively evaluated in the CLD and HL groups. Sequential changes of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured in unenhanced phase, PVP and TP.


RESULTS
Irrespective of hepatic health status, pseudo-washout in TP was significantly more common in the rapidly enhancing haemangiomas (p ≤ 0.026). In both groups, rapidly enhancing haemangiomas showed complete or progressive incomplete enhancement in PVP, which either lasted or transformed to pseudo-washout in TP, whereas slowly enhancing haemangiomas showed progressive incomplete enhancement in PVP and TP. SNR of hepatic parenchyma continued to rise until TP, whereas that of portal vein and haemangioma falls in TP.


CONCLUSIONS
Regardless of CLD, pseudo-washout in TP was more common in rapidly than in slowly enhancing haemangiomas, with enhancement patterns differing in the two subgroups.


CONCLUSIONS
On gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI, some hepatic haemangiomas show pseudo-washout in transitional phase. Regardless of chronic liver disease, pseudo-washout is significantly more common in rapidly enhancing haemangiomas. Rapidly enhancing haemangiomas show complete or progressive incomplete enhancement or pseudo-washout in TP. Slowly enhancing haemangiomas show progressive incomplete enhancement in portal venous phase and TP.
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Asanbyeongwon-gil 86, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 138-736, Korea.|Department of Radiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, 164, World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 443-380, Korea.
Bohyun
B
Kim
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Asanbyeongwon-gil 86, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 138-736, Korea. jhbyun@amc.seoul.kr.
Jae Ho
JH
Byun
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Asanbyeongwon-gil 86, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 138-736, Korea.
Hyoung Jung
HJ
Kim
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Asanbyeongwon-gil 86, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 138-736, Korea.
Hyung Jin
HJ
Won
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Asanbyeongwon-gil 86, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 138-736, Korea.
So Yeon
SY
Kim
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Asanbyeongwon-gil 86, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 138-736, Korea.
Yong Moon
YM
Shin
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Asanbyeongwon-gil 86, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 138-736, Korea.
Pyo Nyun
PN
Kim
D000328:Adult; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000494:pharmacology; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D003287:Contrast Media; C073590:gadolinium ethoxybenzyl DTPA; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA
Gadoxetate disodium; Haemangioma; Liver; Magnetic resonance imaging; Pseudo-washout