title: Liver-specific magnetic resonance contrast medium in the evaluation of chronic liver disease.
abstract: The hepatobiliary-specific contrast medium (gadoxetic acid - Primovist®) is primarily used to improve detection and characterization of focal hepatic lesions, such as in chronic liver disease patients with suspected hepatocellular carcinoma. Since the contrast medium is selectively taken up by functioning hepatocytes in the late hepatobiliary phase, it helps to detect typical hepatocellular carcinoma, which show low signal intensity on this phase. This imaging feature also assists in differentiating regenerative/dysplastic nodules from early hepatocellular carcinomas (with over 90% accuracy), as well as hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas from arterial pseudo-enhancement foci. Future perspectives include its use in quantification of hepatic function and fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcio Augusto Correia Rodrigues dos
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ronaldo Hueb
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Baroni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D027361:Organic Anion Transporters; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D027361:Organic Anion Transporters; C512988:SLCO1A2 protein, human; C073590:gadolinium ethoxybenzyl DTPA; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA