J Korean Radiol Soc.  1997 Mar;36(3):455-462.

Optimal MR Pulse Sequences for Hepatic Hemangiomas: Comparison of T2-Weighted Turbo-Spin-Echo, T2-Weighted Breath-hold Turbo-Spin-Echo, and T1-Weighted FLASH Dynamic Imaging

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Seoul National University, College of Medicine.

Abstract

PURPOSE
To optimize MR imaging pulse sequences in the imaging of hepatic hemangioma and to evaluate on dynamic MR imaging the enhancing characteristics of the lesions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty patients with 35 hemangiomas were studied by using Turbo-spin-echo (TSE) sequence (T2-weighted, T2- and heavily T2-weighted breath-hold) and T1-weighted FLASH imaging acquired before, immediately on, and 1, 3 and 5 minutes after injection of a bolus of Gd-DTPA (0.1 mmol/kg). Phased-array multicoil was employed. Images were quantitatively analyzed for lesion-to-liver signal difference to noise ratios (SD/Ns), and lesion-to-liver signal ratios (H/Ls), and qualitatively analyzed for lesion conspicuity. The enhancing characteristics of the hemangiomas were described by measuring the change of signal intensity as a curve in T1-weighted FLASH dynamic imaging.
RESULTS
ForT2-weighted images, breath-hold T2-weighted TSE had a slightly higher SD/N than other pulse sequences, but there was no statistical difference in three fast pulse sequences (p=0.211). For lesion conspicuity, heavily T2-weighted breath-hold TSE images was superior to T2-weighted breath-hold or non-breath-hold TSE (H/L, 5.75, 3.81, 2.87, respectively, p<0.05). T2-weighted breath-hold TSE imaging was more effective than T2-weighted TSE imaging in removing lesion blurring or lack of sharpness, and there was a 12-fold decrease in acquisition time (20 sec versus 245 sec). T1-weighted FLASH dynamic images of normal liver showed peak enhancement at less than 1 minute, and of hemangioma at more than 3 minutes; the degree of enhancement for hemangioma decreased after a 3 minute delay.
CONCLUSION
T2-weighted breath-hold TSE imaging and Gd-DTPA enhanced FLASH dynamic imaging with 5 minutes delay are sufficient for imaging hepatic hemangiomas.

Keyword

Liver neoplasms, MR; Magnetic resonance (MR), comparative studies; Magnetic resonance (MR), technique

MeSH Terms

Gadolinium DTPA
Hemangioma*
Humans
Liver
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Noise
Gadolinium DTPA
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