Evaluating segmental liver function using T1 mapping on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI with a 3.0 Tesla.

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Hepatology

Background:

• Assessing liver function is crucial for surgical planning and risk evaluation.
• Current methods often focus on whole-liver function, neglecting segmental analysis.
• Segmental liver function assessment is clinically significant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if Gadolinium-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI with T1 mapping can evaluate the function of individual liver segments.
• To investigate the utility of 3 Tesla MRI for segmental liver function assessment.

Main Methods:

• 103 patients were categorized into normal liver function (NLF), Child-Pugh A (LCA), B (LCB), and C (LCC) cirrhosis groups.
• Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI scans were performed, and T1 relaxation times were measured using T1 mapping.
• The reduction rate (△%) of T1 relaxation time in the liver parenchyma was calculated.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in T1 relaxation times were observed across liver segments in LCC patients compared to other groups.
• Liver segments in LCB and LCA groups showed differences compared to the NLF group (p < 0.05).
• Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) demonstrated good diagnostic performance for T1 relaxation time and △% in LCB and LCC groups.

Conclusions:

• Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI T1 mapping enables segmental liver function evaluation in patients with liver cirrhosis (LCB).
• For advanced cirrhosis (LCC), all liver segments are viable for function assessment.
• Both T1 relaxation time and its reduction rate (△%) show strong diagnostic performance for evaluating liver function in cirrhosis.