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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Registered Bioimaging of Nanomaterials for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Monitoring
Published on: December 9, 2010
Evaluation of super paramagnetic iron oxide-enhanced diffusion-weighted PROPELLER T2-fast spin echo magnetic
Shigeru Kiryu1, Makoto Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kabasawa
1Department of Radiology, Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. kiryu-tky@umin.ac.jp
Objective:
To evaluate the usefulness of super paramagnetic iron oxide-enhanced, diffusion-weighted, periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (SPIO DWI PROPELLER) T2-fast spin echo (FSE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of hepatic metastases.
Methods:
Fourteen patients were examined with SPIO-enhanced T2-FSE (SPIO FSE) imaging and SPIO DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE imaging. The b-value of the diffusion-sensitizing gradient was 10 s/mm so as to suppress the signal of the hepatic vessels. Hepatic resections were performed on all patients, and the number of lesions on MRI was compared between the 2 pulse sequences with references from pathologic reports.
Results:
Nearly all metastases 1 cm or larger, totalling 38 metastases, were detected with both pulse sequences. Among the 30 metastases less than 1 cm, more lesions were detected on SPIO DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE imaging than on SPIO FSE imaging (16 for SPIO FSE imaging and 24 for DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE imaging; P < 0.05, McNemar test).
Conclusion:
Super paramagnetic iron oxide-enhanced DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE is useful for detecting small hepatic metastases.
Insights
Super paramagnetic iron oxide-enhanced diffusion-weighted imaging with periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (SPIO DWI PROPELLER) T2-fast spin echo MRI is useful for detecting small hepatic metastases.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Hepatobiliary Imaging
- Oncology
Background:
- Hepatic metastases detection is crucial for patient management.
- Super paramagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) enhances MRI contrast.
- Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can improve lesion detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic performance of SPIO-enhanced DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE MRI for detecting hepatic metastases.
- To compare SPIO DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE with standard SPIO FSE MRI.
Main Methods:
- Fourteen patients with suspected hepatic metastases underwent both SPIO FSE and SPIO DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE MRI.
- A b-value of 10 s/mm² was used in DWI to suppress hepatic vessel signal.
- Lesion detection was compared between the two sequences against pathological reports post-resection.
Main Results:
- Both sequences detected nearly all metastases ≥1 cm.
- SPIO DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE detected significantly more small metastases (<1 cm) than SPIO FSE (24 vs. 16, P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- SPIO-enhanced DWI PROPELLER T2-FSE MRI is a valuable tool for detecting small hepatic metastases.
- This advanced MRI technique improves upon standard SPIO-enhanced FSE imaging for small lesion detection.
