Purpose: To compare the image quality between T1 high-resolution isotropic volume examination using the multi-echo Dixon technique (mDixon-eTHRIVE) and that using spectrally adiabatic inversion recovery (SPAIR-eTHRIVE) in gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI, and to evaluate the detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on mDixon-eTHRIVE.
Materials and methods: Seventy patients with 117 HCCs underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI using mDixon-eTHRIVE. All patients also underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI using SPAIR-eTHRIVE (mean interval of 96 days). Two radiologists performed a consensus review of MRIs for image quality, homogeneity of fat suppression, artifact, and anatomic sharpness using a four-point scale. The detectability for HCC with mDixon-eTHRIVE was assessed using alternative-free response receiver operating characteristic.
Results: All mDixon-eTHRIVE images received higher scores for homogeneity of fat suppression and image quality (P < 0.05) compared with those for SPAIR-eTHRIVE. With respect to artifact and anatomic sharpness, there was no significant difference between two MRIs (P > 0.05). Diagnostic accuracy (Az) and sensitivity for detecting HCCs with mDixon-eTHRIVE images were mean 0.954 and 93.2%, respectively.
Conclusion: For gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI, mDixon-eTHRIVE showed improved homogeneity of fat suppression and overall image quality compared with SPAIR-eTHRIVE.
Keywords: Dixon imaging; fat suppression; hepatocellular carcinoma; liver; magnetic resonance imaging.
Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.