Liver Biliary Function Evaluation on a 1.5T Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan by T1 Reduction Rate Assessment Using...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Quantitative Imaging
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Magnetic Resonance (MR) relaxometry offers quantitative liver biliary function assessment.
• T1 reduction rate (T1RR) is a reproducible metric with lower systematic error than traditional T1 measurements.
• Gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid is a contrast agent used in liver imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an MR T1 relaxometry tool for liver T1RR evaluation.
• To assess the accuracy and reliability of the developed tool on a 1.5T MR system.
• To compare the tool's performance against a standardized commercial method.

Main Methods:

• In vitro and in vivo liver T1RR were calculated using two 3D FLASH variable-flip-angle sequences and a MATLAB algorithm.
• Prospective study included 13 normal and 26 cirrhotic livers.
• ImageJ software was used for region of interest measurements; statistical analyses were performed using IBM-SPSS Statistics.

Main Results:

• The method demonstrated good in vitro accuracy with a maximum 9% error.
• High concordance was observed between the proposed method and a commercial tool (P < 0.05).
• Median T1RRs were 74.8 (normal), 67.9 (Child-Pugh A), and 52.1 (Child-Pugh B) for cirrhotic livers. Intrareader and interreader reliability were high (ICC 0.85-0.95).

Conclusions:

• The developed MR T1 relaxometry tool provides accurate and reliable in vitro/vivo assessment of liver biliary function.
• The method is suitable for evaluating liver T1RR after gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid administration.
• This quantitative approach enhances diagnostic capabilities in liver disease assessment.