Content area
Abstract
To develop and evaluate a procedure for quantifying the hepatocyte-specific uptake of Gd-BOPTA and Gd-EOB-DTPA using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI.
Ten healthy volunteers were prospectively recruited and 21 patients with suspected hepatobiliary disease were retrospectively evaluated. All subjects were examined with DCE-MRI using 0.025 mmol/kg of Gd-EOB-DTPA. The healthy volunteers underwent an additional examination using 0.05 mmol/kg of Gd-BOPTA. The signal intensities (SI) of liver and spleen parenchyma were obtained from unenhanced and enhanced acquisitions. Using pharmacokinetic models of the liver and spleen, and an SI rescaling procedure, a hepatic uptake rate, K ^sub Hep^, estimate was derived. The K ^sub Hep^ values for Gd-EOB-DTPA were then studied in relation to those for Gd-BOPTA and to a clinical classification of the patient's hepatobiliary dysfunction.
K ^sub Hep^ estimated using Gd-EOB-DTPA showed a significant Pearson correlation with K ^sub Hep^ estimated using Gd-BOPTA (r=0.64; P<0.05) in healthy subjects. Patients with impaired hepatobiliary function had significantly lower K ^sub Hep^ than patients with normal hepatobiliary function (K ^sub Hep^=0.09±0.05 min^sup -1^ versus K ^sub Hep^=0.24±0.10 min^sup -1^; P<0.01).
A new procedure for quantifying the hepatocyte-specific uptake of T ^sub 1^-enhancing contrast agent was demonstrated and used to show that impaired hepatobiliary function severely influences the hepatic uptake of Gd-EOB-DTPA.
* The liver uptake of contrast agents may be measured with standard clinical MRI.
* Calculation of liver contrast agent uptake is improved by considering splenic uptake.
* Liver function affects the uptake of the liver-specific contrast agent Gd-EOB-DTPA.
* Hepatic uptake of two contrast agents (Gd-EOB-DTPA, Gd-BOPTA) is correlated in healthy individuals.
* This method can be useful for determining liver function, e.g. before hepatic surgery [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]