High-resolution double arterial phase hepatic MRI using adaptive 2D centric view ordering: initial clinical...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Hepatobiliary Imaging

Background:

• Liver MRI is crucial for detecting hepatic lesions.
• Optimizing contrast enhancement timing is key for accurate diagnosis.
• Traditional single-phase imaging may miss subtle or dynamic lesion characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel modified liver acceleration volume acquisition (LAVA) 3D fast spoiled gradient-recalled echo (FSPGR) sequence.
• To assess its impact on contrast bolus timing and liver lesion detection.
• To compare dual arterial phase imaging with single arterial phase imaging.

Main Methods:

• 109 patients underwent gadolinium-enhanced dual arterial phase liver MRI using the modified LAVA sequence.
• The sequence incorporates adaptive 2D centric view ordering, 2D autocalibrated acceleration, and partial-Fourier for faster scans.
• A control group of 109 patients received single arterial phase 3D FSPGR imaging.
• Image analysis focused on timing, lesion conspicuity, and detection rates.

Main Results:

• The modified LAVA sequence achieved optimal arterial phase timing in 91% of patients, compared to 72% in the control group.
• Dual arterial phase imaging detected significantly more liver lesions (256-248) than single-phase imaging (165-155).
• Lesion conspicuity was improved, particularly for hypovascular lesions on the second phase and hypervascular lesions on either phase.

Conclusions:

• High-resolution dual arterial phase 3D FSPGR MRI, utilizing the modified LAVA sequence, enhances the arterial phase timing of liver enhancement.
• This technique provides valuable additional information, improving the detection and conspicuity of liver lesions.
• The modified LAVA sequence represents an advancement in liver MRI for lesion characterization.