Characterization of liver metastases: the efficacy of biphasic magnetic resonance imaging with ferucarbotran-enhancement

Abstract

To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of biphasic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver with ferucarbotran-enhancement for the characterization of hepatic metastases. Thirty-six patients underwent MRI of the liver with separate acquisition of double-contrast enhancement consisting of gadolinium and ferucarbotran. A total of 106 focal hepatic lesions (51 metastases, 31 cysts, 23 haemangiomas, and one eosinophilic abscess) were included. Two sets of MRI were analysed: (1) ferucarbotran set: ferucarbotran-enhanced T1-weighted (T1W) dynamic imaging combined with ferucarbotran-enhanced T2*-weighted (T2*W) delayed imaging and (2) double set: gadolinium-enhanced T1W dynamic imaging combined with ferucarbotran-enhanced T2*W delayed imaging. The diagnostic accuracy of the two sets was evaluated using alternative free-response receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Sensitivity and specificity were compared using the McNemar test. The enhancement pattern of focal hepatic lesions was analysed on gadolinium and ferucarbotran-enhanced T1W dynamic imaging. There was no significant difference in the accuracy of characterizing hepatic metastases between the two sets. Sensitivity and specificity were not significantly different between the sets (p>0.05). Peripheral rim enhancement was exhibited in 57% of metastatic lesions on ferucarbotran-enhanced T1W dynamic imaging. The majority (96%) of hepatic haemangiomas demonstrated typical peripheral nodular enhancement with progression on ferucarbotran-enhanced T1W dynamic imaging and were easily differentiated from metastases. Biphasic MRI of the liver with ferucarbotran-enhancement alone provided comparable diagnostic efficacy to double-contrast MRI for the characterization of hepatic metastases.