Fate of hypointense lesions on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging
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Updated: May 25, 2026
Investigations on the Ga(III) Complex of EOB-DTPA and Its 68Ga Radiolabeled Analogue
Published on: August 17, 2016
Hiroyuki Akai1, Izuru Matsuda, Shigeru Kiryu
1Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, and Department of Radiological Technology, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. hakai-tky@umin.ac.jp
Purpose:
To investigate the natural outcome and clinical implication of hypointense lesions in the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI.
Materials And Methods:
Forty patients underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for preoperative evaluation of HCC. Hypointense lesions in the hepatobiliary phase that were hypovascular 5mm of more were extracted for follow-up. We performed a longitudinal study retrospectively for these lesions regardless of whether classical HCC developed or emerged in a different area from that of the lesions being followed.
Results:
Thirty one patients displayed 130 hypointense lesions on MRI and only nine showed no hypointense lesions. In total, 17 (13.1%) of 130 hypointense lesions on MRI developed into classical HCC. The cumulative rates for these lesions to develop into classical HCC were 3.2% at 1 year, 11.1% at 2 years and 15.9% at 3 years. The total occurrence rates of classical HCC (25.8% at 1 year, 52.6% at 2 years and 76.4% at 3 years) were higher compared to those regarding only occurrence of classical HCC from hypointense lesions on MRI (10.0% at 1 year, 35.6% at 2 years and 44.6% at 3 years), although no significant difference was observed (p=0.073).
Conclusions:
Hypointense lesions that are detected in the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI have some malignant potential, although treating these lesions aggressively in patients who already have HCC may be too severe.
