T₁ Mapping on Gd-EOB-DTPA-Enhanced MRI for the Prediction of Oxaliplatin-Induced Liver Injury in a Mouse Model

Oxaliplatin-induced liver injury (OILI) not only impairs hepatic regeneration but also increases postoperative morbidity and mortality. Therefore, noninvasive, accurate, and early diagnosis of OILI is mandatory.

To evaluate the potential of T₁ mapping on gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI for assessing OILI in a mouse model.

Case control, animal model.

Thirty oxaliplatin-treated mice and 10 control mice were included.

Volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination sequence: 3T scanner with a phased-array animal 8-channel coil. T₁ mapping before and at hepatobiliary phase (HBP) after injection of Gd-EOB-DTPA were undertaken.

T₁ relaxation times of the liver parenchyma were measured and the reduction rate (ΔT₁ %) was calculated. Histological findings were used as a standard reference.

The Kruskal-Wallis test with pairwise comparisons using the Mann-Whitney U-test were applied to compare the parameters across groups. Spearman's rank correlation test and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses were performed. Areas under the curves (AUCs) were compared using the DeLong method.

Histologically, mice were classified as normal (n = 10), hepatocellular degeneration without fibrosis (n = 16), and hepatocellular degeneration with fibrosis (n = 14). HBP T₁ relaxation time increased with the severity of OILI (rho = 0.60, P < 0.05), and ΔT₁ % decreased with the severity of OILI (rho = -0.78, P < 0.05). AUC was 0.92 for ΔT₁ % in differentiating hepatocellular degeneration without fibrosis from normal liver, but HBP T₁ relaxation time could not distinguish them (P = 0.09). AUCs were 0.96 and 0.95 for HBP T₁ relaxation time, and 0.90 and 0.84 for ΔT₁ % in discriminating OILI with fibrosis from normal liver and OILI without fibrosis.

HBP T₁ relaxation time and ΔT₁ % of Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI was useful for assessing OILI. ΔT₁ % may be more sensitive than HBP T₁ relaxation time in detecting early stage of liver injury.

2.

5.