Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine whether the combined use of heavily and moderately T2-weighted fast spin-echo magnetic resonance (MR) images improves differentiation of nonsolid, benign hepatic lesions from solid malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three radiologists reviewed moderately (n = 133) and heavily (n = 133) T2-weighted and multiphasic dynamic contrast material- enhanced (n = 93) MR images in 133 patients with proved focal hepatic lesions (93 benign, 38 malignant). The radiologists used a five-point scale to rate their confidence in determination of malignancy. RESULTS: All three reviewers were statistically significantly better able to differentiate small (diameter less than 3 cm; n = 84) benignancies from small malignancies with the combination of moderately and heavily T2-weighted images (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.99 for each reader) than with moderately T2-weighted images alone (area, 0.88-0.90; P<.05). Confident diagnoses were rendered in 69 (82%) patients, with 100% accuracy for the combined use of moderately and heavily T2-weighted images. For larger lesions (diameter 3 cm or larger; n = 49), accurate differentiation was possible with moderately T2-weighted images alone. Additional use of multiphasic images did not improve the sensitivity, specificity, or accuracy of image interpretation. CONCLUSION: The combined use of moderately and heavily T2- weighted fast spin-echo MR images improves differentiation of small benign hepatic lesions from small malignant lesions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 729-737 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Radiology |
Volume | 204 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1997 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Liver neoplasms
- Liver neoplasms, diagnosis
- Liver, MR
- Magnetic resonance (MR), pulse sequences
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging