title: High resolution multi-arterial phase MRI improves lesion contrast in chronic liver disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the reliability of arterial phase capture and evaluate hypervascular lesion contrast kinetics with a combined view-sharing and parallel imaging dynamic contrast-enhanced acquisition, DIfferential Sub-sampling with Cartesian Ordering (DISCO), in patients with known chronic liver disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of 3T MR images from 26 patients with known chronic liver disease referred for hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance or post-treatment follow up was performed. After administration of a gadolinium-based contrast agent, a multiphasic acquisition was obtained in a 28 s breath-hold, from which seven sequential post-contrast image volumes were reconstructed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The late arterial phase was successfully captured in all cases (26/26, 95% CI 87-100%). Images obtained 26 s post-injection had the highest frequency of late arterial phase capture (20/26) and lesion detection (23/26) of any individual post-contrast time; however, the multiphasic data resulted in a significantly higher frequency of late arterial phase capture (26/26, p=0.03) and a higher relative contrast (5.37+/-0.97 versus 7.10+/-0.98, p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiphasic acquisition with combined view-sharing and parallel imaging reliably captures the late arterial phase and provides sufficient temporal resolution to characterize hepatic lesion contrast kinetics in patients with chronic liver disease while maintaining high spatial resolution.
authors.affiliation: . sharon.clarke@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Sharon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Manojkumar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saranathan
authors.forename: Dan W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Rettmann
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Hargreaves
authors.forename: Shreyas S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Vasanawala
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009098:Multiphasic Screening / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies