Clinical Gastroenterology Vol.17 No.1(3-2)

Theme Imaging Diagnostics of Liver Disease
Title Contrast-enhanced 3D-MR Angiography in Diagnosis of Liver Disease
Publish Date 2002/01
Author Takatoshi Kitamura 1st Department of Medicine, Yamanashi Medical University
Author Tomoaki Ichikawa Department of Radiology, Yamanashi Medical University
Author Syunichi Okada 1st Department of Medicine, Yamanashi Medical University
Author Yoshihiro Akahane 1st Department of Medicine, Yamanashi Medical University
Author Masayuki A. Fujino 1st Department of Medicine, Yamanashi Medical University
[ Summary ] Contrast-enhanced three-dimensional MR angiography (CE-3D-MRA) is a promising method for evaluating patients with cirrhotic liver because it allows us to simultaneously obtain both arterial and portal-phase images. Arterial-phase images are useful for detecting HCC, while the portal-phase images are also useful for assessing collateral pathways in the patients. The detectability of HCC with arterial-phase CE-3D-MRA images was proved to be equivalent to those with arterial-phase conventional MR and helical CT images. Moreover, the efficacy of evaluating collateral pathways with coronal, portal-phase CE-3D-MRA images was the best among those of digital subtraction angiography (DSA), CT/MR images, and RI portography based on our results. As a result, we believe that CE-3D-MRA may have a potential to replace DSA as an invasive technique, at least which therapeutic procedures are not required for.
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