Optimal timing and diagnostic adequacy of hepatocyte phase imaging with gadoxetate-enhanced liver MRI.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate clinical and imaging features associated with adequacy of the hepatocyte phase (HP) in gadoxetate disodium-enhanced liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients without chronic liver disease (CLD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective institutional review board-approved study of 97 patients who underwent liver MRI examinations with gadoxetate disodium and had no history of CLD. Available late dynamic and HP sequences (3-20 minutes postinjection) were independently analyzed by four radiologists for perceived image adequacy and level of biliary enhancement. Signal intensity ratios (SIRs) of liver/inferior vena cava (IVC), liver/spleen, and liver/muscle were measured. The Spearman ρ and receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed correlating various factors with HP adequacy. A rule for predicting HP adequacy was also derived and tested to determine whether overall examination time could be shortened. RESULTS: A visually adequate HP was observed in 12% of subjects by 10 minutes, 80% by 15 minutes, and 93% by 20 minutes. An SIRliver/IVC > 1.8 was the imaging feature that had the strongest correlation with an adequate HP (ρ = 0.813, P < .001), and was more predictive of adequacy of the HP than the time postinjection (ρ = 0.5, P < .001). The time at which an adequate HP was first observed did not correlate with any tested demographic or laboratory values. Stopping imaging when an SIRliver/IVC > 1.8 would have successfully reduced mean postcontrast time to 15:39 ± 4:02 from 20:00 (P < .001), although maintaining HP adequacy. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients without CLD undergoing gadoxetate-enhanced liver MRI achieve adequate HP at 20 minutes. However, a shorter postcontrast stopping time can be used in most patients.

Quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of pelvic and lumbar bone marrow: effect of age and marrow fat content on pharmacokinetic parameter values.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of age and fat content on quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) parameters in the bone marrow of the lumbar spine and pelvis. The interreader reproducibility of this technique will also be assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-three DCE-MRI studies of the female pelvis defined the study group. Quantitative pharmacokinetic perfusion parameters of lumbar and pelvic marrow were analyzed by three readers on a DCE-MRI postprocessing platform. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of age and marrow fat fraction on the parameters of transfer constant (K(trans)), efflux rate constant (K(ep)), extravascular extracellular space (V(e)), and initial area under the gadolinium curve at 60 seconds (iAUGC(60)). Interreader agreement was assessed by means of intraclass correlation coefficient calculation. RESULTS: A weak but statistically significant correlation was established between both age and fat fraction and the parameters K(trans) (R(2) = 0.14) and K(ep) (R(2) = 0.09). There was also a weak but statistically significant correlation between fat fraction and V(e) (R(2) = 0.116) and iAUGC(60) (R(2) = 0.108), but no correlation between age and these parameters. Intraclass correlation coefficients of parameter measurements by different readers were all greater than 0.7 at the p < 0.05 level. CONCLUSION: Age and fat fraction have small measurable effects on quantitative DCE-MRI parameters in bone marrow. However, given the wide interindividual variation of these parameters, these effects are unlikely to confound changes related to malignancy or treatment. Also of note, there was strong interreader reproducibility of parameter measurements among a range of experience levels, suggesting that the reader-reader experience level may not represent a significant source of variability in bone marrow DCE-MRI.

Inter- and intra-rater reproducibility of quantitative dynamic contrast enhanced MRI using TWIST perfusion data in a uterine fibroid model.

PURPOSE: To determine the reproducibility of TWIST-derived (Time-Resolved Angiography with Interleaved Stochastic Trajectories) quantitative dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI in a uterine fibroid model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study. Dynamic contrast-enhanced TWIST datasets from 15 randomly selected 1.5 Tesla pelvic MR studies were postprocessed. Five readers recorded kinetic parameters (K(trans) [volume transfer constant], ve [extracellular extravascular space volume], kep [flux rate constant], iAUC [initial area under the gadolinium-time curve]) of the largest uterine fibroid using three region-of-interest (ROI) selection methods. Measurements were randomized and repeated three times, and measures of reproducibility were calculated. RESULTS: The intra-rater coefficients of variation (CVs, brackets indicate 95% confidence intervals) varied from 4.6% to 7.6% (K(trans) 7.6% [6.1%, 9.1%], kep 7.2% [5.9%, 8.5%], ve 4.6% [3.8%, 5.4%], and iAUC 7.2% [6.1%, 8.3%]). ve was the most reproducible (P < 0.05). Inter-rater reproducibility was significantly (P < 0.05) greater for the large ROI method (range of intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] = 0.80-0.98 versus 0.48-0.63 [user-defined ROI] versus 0.41-0.69 [targeted ROI]). The uterine fibroid accounted for the greatest fraction of variance for the large ROI method (range across kinetic parameters: 83-98% versus 56-69% [user-defined ROI] versus 47-74% [targeted ROI]). The reader accounted for the greatest fraction of variance for the user-defined ROI method (0.4-14.1% versus 0.1-3.0% [large ROI] versus <0.1-1.5% [targeted ROI]). CONCLUSION: Changes in TWIST-derived DCE-MRI kinetic parameters of up to 9-15% may be attributable to measurement error. Large DCE-MRI regions of interest are the most reproducible across multiple readers.

Reproducibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging. Part II. Comparison of intra- and interobserver variability with manual region of interest placement versus semiautomatic lesion segmentation and histogram analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the inter- and intraobserver variability with manual region of interest (ROI) placement versus that with software-assisted semiautomatic lesion segmentation and histogram analysis with respect to quantitative dynamic contrast material-enhanced (DCE) MR imaging determinations of the volume transfer constant (K(trans)). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was approved by the institutional review board and compliant with HIPAA. The requirement to obtain informed consent was waived. Fifteen DCE MR imaging studies of the female pelvis defined the study group. Uterine fibroids were used as a perfusion model. Three varying types of lesion measurements were performed by five readers on each study by using DCE MR imaging perfusion analysis software with manual ROI placement and a semiautomatic lesion segmentation and histogram analysis solution. Intra- and interreader variability of measurements of K(trans) with the different measurement types was calculated. RESULTS: The overall interobserver variability of K(trans) with manual ROI placement (mean, 28.5% ± 9.3) was reduced by 42.5% when the semiautomatic, software-assisted lesion measurement method was used (16.4% ± 6.2). Whole-lesion measurement showed the lowest interobserver variability with both measurement methods (20.1% ± 4.3 with the manual method vs 10.8% ± 2.6 with the semiautomatic method). The overall intrareader variability with the manual ROI method (7.6% ± 10.6) was not significantly different from that with the semiautomatic method (7.3% ± 10.8), but the intraclass correlation coefficient for intrareader reproducibility improved from 0.86 overall with the manual method to 0.99 with the semiautomatic method. CONCLUSION: A semiautomatic lesion segmentation and histogram analysis approach can provide a significant reduction in interobserver variability for DCE MR imaging measurements of K(trans) when compared with manual ROI methods, whereas intraobserver reproducibility is improved to some extent.

Reproducibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging. Part I. Perfusion characteristics in the female pelvis by using multiple computer-aided diagnosis perfusion analysis solutions.

PURPOSE: To test the reproducibility of model-derived quantitative and semiquantitative pharmacokinetic parameters among various commercially available perfusion analysis solutions for dynamic contrast material-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was institutional review board approved and HIPAA compliant, with waiver of informed consent granted. The study group consisted of 15 patients (mean age, 44 years; range, 28-60 years), with 15 consecutive 1.5-T DCE MR imaging studies performed between October 1, 2010, and December 27, 2010, prior to uterine fibroid embolization. Studies were conducted by using variable-flip-angle T1 mapping and four-dimensional, time-resolved MR angiography with interleaved stochastic trajectories. Images from all DCE MR imaging studies were postprocessed with four commercially available perfusion analysis solutions by using a Tofts and Kermode model paradigm. Five observers measured pharmacokinetic parameters (volume transfer constant [K(trans)], v(e) [extracellular extravascular volume fraction], k(ep)[K(trans)/v(e)], and initial area under the gadolinium curve [iAUGC]) three times for each imaging study with each perfusion analysis solution (between March 13, 2011, and September 8, 2011) by using two different region-of-interest methods, resulting in 1800 data points. RESULTS: After normalization of data output, significant differences in mean values were found for the majority of perfusion analysis solution combinations. The within-subject coefficient of variation among perfusion analysis solutions was 48.3%-68.8% for K(trans), 37.2%-60.3% for k(ep), 27.7%-74.1% for v(e), and 25.1%-61.2% for iAUGC. The intraclass correlation coefficient revealed only poor to moderate consistency among pairwise perfusion analysis solution comparisons (K(trans), 0.33-0.65; k(ep), 0.02-0.81; v(e), -0.03 to 0.72; and iAUGC, 0.47-0.78). CONCLUSION: A considerable variability for DCE MR imaging pharmacokinetic parameters (K(trans), k(ep), v(e), iAUGC) was found among commercially available perfusion analysis solutions. Therefore, clinical comparability across perfusion analysis solutions is currently not warranted. Agreement on a postprocessing standard is paramount prior to establishing DCE MR imaging as a widely incorporated biomarker.