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Assessment of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for HCC and dysplastic nodules and comparison of detection sensitivity versus MDCT

  • Original Article—Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
  • Published:
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Abstract

Background

We aimed to evaluate gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and dysplastic nodules (DNs) compared with dynamic multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT), and to discriminate between HCCs and DNs.

Methods

Eighty-six nodules diagnosed as HCC or DNs were retrospectively investigated. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and dynamic MDCT were compared with respect to their diagnostic ability for hypervascular HCCs and detection sensitivity for hypovascular tumors. The ability of hepatobiliary images of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI to discriminate between these nodules was assessed. We also calculated the EOB enhancement ratio of the tumors.

Results

For hypervascular HCCs, the diagnostic ability of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI was significantly higher than that of MDCT for tumors less than 2 cm (p = 0.048). There was no difference in the detection of hypervascular HCCs between hepatobiliary phase images of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI (43/45: 96%) and dynamic MDCT (40/45: 89%), whereas the detection sensitivity of hypovascular tumors by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI was significantly higher than that by dynamic MDCT (39/41: 95% vs. 25/41: 61%, p = 0.001). EOB enhancement ratios were decreased in parallel with the degree of differentiation in DNs and HCCs, although there was no difference between DNs and hypovascular well-differentiated HCCs.

Conclusion

The diagnostic ability of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for hypervascular HCCs less than 2 cm was significantly higher than that of MDCT. For hypovascular tumors, the detection sensitivity of hepatobiliary phase images of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI was significantly higher than that of dynamic Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and dynamic MDCT. It was difficult to distinguish between DNs and hypovascular well-differentiated HCCs based on the EOB enhancement ratio.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan

    Tatsuo Inoue, Masatoshi Kudo, Sosuke Hayaishi, Taisuke Ueda, Masahiro Takita, Satoshi Kitai, Kinuyo Hatanaka, Norihisa Yada, Satoru Hagiwara, Hobyung Chung, Toshiharu Sakurai & Kazuomi Ueshima

  2. Department of Pathology, Keio University Faculty of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan

    Mina Komuta & Michiie Sakamoto

  3. Department of Pathology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan

    Osamu Maenishi

  4. Department of Radiology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan

    Tomoko Hyodo, Masahiro Okada, Seishi Kumano & Takamichi Murakami

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  1. Tatsuo Inoue
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  2. Masatoshi Kudo
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  19. Takamichi Murakami
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Correspondence to Masatoshi Kudo.

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Inoue, T., Kudo, M., Komuta, M. et al. Assessment of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for HCC and dysplastic nodules and comparison of detection sensitivity versus MDCT. J Gastroenterol 47, 1036–1047 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-012-0571-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-012-0571-6

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