TWIST-VIBE five-arterial-phase technology decreases transient severe motion after bolus injection of Gd-EOB-DTPA

Abstract

To investigate whether time-resolved imaging with interleaved stochastic trajectories (TWIST)-volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) hepatic arterial phase imaging technique improves image quality in patients experiencing transient severe motion (TSM) during abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA). This retrospective study compares TSM in MRI images from 28 patients with focal liver lesions imaged with gadopentetic acid (Gd-DTPA) and 28 patients with focal liver lesions imaged with Gd-EOB-DTPA. Images were taken during the precontrast phase, five hepatic arterial phases acquired with a single breath-hold, portal venous phase, and late dynamic phase. There was a significant difference in the mean motion scores for the arterial phase in Gd-EOB-DTPA cohort before, and after, enhancement (p<0.001); however, there was no significant difference in the Gd-DTPA cohort for the same (p<0.05). The mean motion scores in the five hepatic arterial phases in the Gd-EOB-DTPA cohort after enhancement were significantly higher than that in the Gd-DTPA cohort (p<0.001). TSM occurred significantly more frequently in the Gd-EOB-DTPA cohort (64.2%) than in the Gd-DTPA cohort (3.5%, p<0.001). The highest motion score in Gd-EOB-DTPA cohort occurred during the fourth arterial phase, which was significantly higher than the other four arterial phases after enhancement (p<0.001). Moderate and severe TSM (motion score ≥3) occurred mainly in the mid and mid-late arterial phase. All patients with arterial phase images affected by TSM (motion scores ≥3) had at least one arterial phase image with TSM score <3, which was of adequate image quality for diagnostic purposes. The TWIST-VIBE hepatic arterial phase imaging technique can be used to acquire arterial images at abdominal MRI with Gd-EOB-DTPA, and these images have adequate quality for diagnosis in patients who are affected by TSM.