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Published on: May 19, 2023
Detection of hepatic metastases using ferucarbotran-enhanced MR imaging: feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of
Kensaku Mori1, Nobuyuki Takahashi, Makiko Hiratsuka
1Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. moriken@md.tsukuba.ac.jp
Purpose:
To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a ferucarbotran-enhanced three-dimensional sensitivity-encoding water-excitation multishot echo-planar sequence (3D-SWEEP) for detecting hepatic metastases compared to a T2*-weighted fast field-echo (FFE) sequence.
Materials And Methods:
Twenty-five consecutive patients with hepatic metastases underwent ferucarbotran-enhanced MRI on a 1.5-T unit before hepatic resections. Eighty-two foci of metastases were confirmed by histopathology or intraoperative ultrasonography (US). Signal-intensity decay (SID), tumor-to-liver contrast (TLC), and image quality were compared between T2*-weighted FFE and 3D-SWEEP. Three independent observers reviewed three imaging sets: set 1, without 3D-SWEEP or T2*-weighted FFE; set 2, with T2*-weighted FFE; and set 3, with 3D-SWEEP. The mean values of areas under alternative free response receiver operating characteristic curves (Az) and sensitivities were compared among the three sets.
Results:
SID and TLC were significantly greater for 3D-SWEEP than T2*-weighted FFE, although 3D-SWEEP had poorer image quality. The mean Az and sensitivity were significantly greater for set 3 compared to set 1 for detecting overall lesions, and compared to sets 1 and 2 for detecting lesions of 1-2 cm in diameter.
Conclusion:
Despite relatively prominent artifacts, ferucarbotran-enhanced 3D-SWEEP was more sensitive and accurate than T2*-weighted FFE for detecting hepatic metastases.
