Purpose
To compare the image quality between T1 high‐resolution isotropic volume examination using the multi‐echo Dixon technique (mDixon‐eTHRIVE) and that using spectrally adiabatic inversion recovery (SPAIR‐eTHRIVE) in gadoxetic acid‐enhanced liver MRI, and to evaluate the detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on mDixon‐eTHRIVE.
Materials and Methods
Seventy patients with 117 HCCs underwent gadoxetic acid‐enhanced liver MRI using mDixon‐eTHRIVE. All patients also underwent gadoxetic acid‐enhanced MRI using SPAIR‐eTHRIVE (mean interval of 96 days). Two radiologists performed a consensus review of MRIs for image quality, homogeneity of fat suppression, artifact, and anatomic sharpness using a four‐point scale. The detectability for HCC with mDixon‐eTHRIVE was assessed using alternative‐free response receiver operating characteristic.
Results
All mDixon‐eTHRIVE images received higher scores for homogeneity of fat suppression and image quality (P < 0.05) compared with those for SPAIR‐eTHRIVE. With respect to artifact and anatomic sharpness, there was no significant difference between two MRIs (P > 0.05). Diagnostic accuracy (Az) and sensitivity for detecting HCCs with mDixon‐eTHRIVE images were mean 0.954 and 93.2%, respectively.
Conclusion
For gadoxetic acid‐enhanced liver MRI, mDixon‐eTHRIVE showed improved homogeneity of fat suppression and overall image quality compared with SPAIR‐eTHRIVE. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:401–410. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.