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Quantitative assessment of liver graft function using functional automated whole-liver score derived from gadoxetic
Gen Chen1, Bo Yang2, Siyuan Ma1
1Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Objectives:
Accurate and timely assessment of liver graft function is of great significance for the survival of liver grafts and liver transplant recipients. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the functional automated whole-liver score (FAWLS) system derived from gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and quantitative measurements of liver graft function. Additionally, it sought to determine the utility of FAWLS in evaluating the severity of liver graft injury and monitoring treatment response following therapy, through an association analysis with liver biopsy findings to validate its effectiveness as a non-invasive diagnostic tool.
Methods:
Between July 2021 and September 2023, 172 liver transplant recipients underwent liver MRI at a 3 T system, which included T1 mapping and high-speed T2-corrected multi-echo magnetic resonance spectroscopy in this prospective cohort study. The Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score was utilized to quantitatively evaluate liver graft function. T1 maps were obtained before and 20 minutes after the injection of gadoxetic acid (0.025 mmol/kg). This study assessed the relationship between the ALBI score and various MRI parameters, including pre- and post-contrast liver T1 values, FAWLS, liver volume, and functional liver imaging score (FLIS). Diagnostic performance of the FAWLS in identifying patients with an ALBI score greater than -2.6. Utilized the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve to compare across other parameters.
Results:
FAWLS exhibited a negative correlation with ALBI ( r = -0.72; P < 0.001). Participants with ALBI scores of -2.6 or lower showed significant differences in FAWLS, post-contrast T1 liver , and ΔT1 liver compared to those with ALBI scores greater than -2.6. FAWLS demonstrated superior performance in detecting ALBI of greater than -2.6 compared to liver volume (0.83 vs 0.59; P < 0.0001), ΔT1 liver (0.83 vs 0.76; P = 0.03), and FLIS (0.83 vs 0.65; P = 0.01). Significant alterations in FAWLS were observed between pre-treatment and post-treatment measurements.
Conclusion:
FAWLS is negatively correlated with liver function based on ALBI scores and provide good diagnostic accuracy in identifying patients with ALBI of greater than -2.6. Additionally, FAWLS is valuable for monitoring treatment response after therapy in these individuals.
