Evaluation of regional liver function by gadolinium-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging

We evaluated the role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA), in estimating regional liver function in a rat ischemia-reperfusion model. Ischemic liver damage was induced in the right lobe by vascular clamping for 0 (sham), 30 (I-30), 60 (I-60), and 90 min (I-90 group). The ischemic lobes in the I-60 and I-90 groups was clearly visualized as a high intensity area in the T1 images at late phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA enhancement, Moreover, the T1/2 of signal intensity in ischemic lobes significantly correlated with the duration of vascular clamping. We also observed significant correlation between T1/2 and ATP concentration in the liver tissue (r = -0.719, P = 0.04). Our results indicate that MR imaging with Gd-EOB-DTPA is useful for evaluation of regional liver function in rats.