• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.261-265
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• 2014

Three-dimensional computed tomography is an effective tool to estimate the liver volume of living donors for the live liver transplantation. When additional operation is required, magnetic resonance imaging is conducted to determine the safety of the donor. This study compared the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in estimating 3D liver volume of 23 male and 7 female donors who underwent both magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography tests before the transplantation. The analysis was conducted to see whether the liver's estimated total volumes and the left lobe volumes obtained from 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography were identical. Volumes of the right lobe estimated with 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography were compared with the actual volume of the right lobe harvested in the operating room because the volume of the right lobe is an important determinant in the safety of the donor. The total volume of the liver estimated from 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography differed (1238.1904 units and 1402.364 units respectively). The left lobe volume of the liver estimated with 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography also differed (450.530 units and 554.490 units, respectively). The right lobe volume of the liver estimated with 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography were 787.660 units and 847.545 units, respectively, while the actual average right lobe volume of the harvested liver was 678.636 units. 3D-computed tomography has been widely used to estimate the right lobe volume of the donors' liver. However, 3D-magnetic resonance imaging was also very effective in estimating the volume of the liver. Thus, 3D-magnetic resonance imaging is also expected to become an important tool in determining the safety of the donors before transplantation.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2019

Dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging plays an important role in non-invasive detection and characterization of primary and metastatic lesions in the liver. Recently, efforts have been made to improve spatial and temporal resolution of DCE liver MRI for arterial phase imaging. Review of recent publications related to arterial phase imaging of the liver indicates that there exist primarily two approaches: breath-hold and free-breathing. For breath-hold imaging, acquiring multiple arterial phase images in a breath-hold is the preferred approach over conventional single-phase imaging. For free-breathing imaging, a combination of three-dimensional (3D) stack-of-stars golden-angle sampling and compressed sensing parallel imaging reconstruction is one of emerging techniques. Self-gating can be used to decrease respiratory motion artifact. This article introduces recent MRI technologies relevant to hepatic arterial phase imaging, including differential subsampling with Cartesian ordering (DISCO), golden-angle radial sparse parallel (GRASP), and X-D GRASP. This article also describes techniques related to dynamic 3D image reconstruction of the liver from golden-angle stack-of-stars data.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.52-55
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• 2015

Supradiaphragmatic liver is a rare condition. Establishing an accurate preoperative diagnosis is difficult. Operative exploration is necessary to differentiate this lesion from intrathoracic masses, such as a pleural based tumor, diaphragmatic tumor and peripheral lung tumor. However, with the aid of the hepatocyte-specific magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent, gadoxetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA), functional hepatocytes in the lesion can be identified in the hepatobiliary phase, potentially allowing an accurate and non-invasive diagnosis. We report a case of supradiaphragmatic liver diagnosed by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2000

Protocol이란 Dorland의 의학사전에 의하면 "어떤 술기의 절차에 대한 명백하고 상세한 계획서(an explicit detiled plan of a procedure)"로 정의된다. 그래서 liver MR imaging protocol은 간에 발생한 병적 문제를 해결하기 위해서, 자기공명 영상술을 실시하는 구체적이고 세부적인 지침서를 말하게 된다. 그러나 현실적으로 병원에 따라 imaging protocol은 조금씩 다르다. 왜냐하면 자기공명영상 장비가 다르고, 적절한 펄스파형(pulse sequence)에 대한 통일된 안이 없기 때문이다. 자기공명영상술은 지금도 계속해서 빠르게 발전하고 있기 때문에, 현재 통용되는 영상 술기에 대한 자세한 지침은 곧 소용이 없게 된다. 그래서 본 소고에서는 간의 자기공명영상화의 병변의 특성화에 대한 기본적인 면에 더욱 중점을 두고 기술하고자 한다.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.125-130
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• 2017

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical significance of T1 high signal intensity on the globus pallidus as a predictor of severe hepatic encephalopathy in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), which is a distinct syndrome characterized by multi-organ dysfunction including cerebral failure. Materials and Methods: From January 2002 to April 2014, we retrospectively reviewed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and clinical and magnetic resonance (MR) features of 74 consecutive patients (44 men and 30 women; mean age, 59.5 years) with liver cirrhosis. The chronic liver failure-sequential organ failure assessment score was used to diagnose ACLF. The pallidal index (PI), calculated by dividing the mean signal intensity of the globus pallidus by that of the subcortical frontal white matter were compared according to ACLF. The PI was compared with the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score in predicting the development of ACLF. Results: Fifteen patients who were diagnosed with ACLF had higher hepatic encephalopathy grades (initial, P = 0.024; follow-up, P = 0.002), MELD scores (P < 0.001), and PI (P = 0.048). In the ACLF group, the mean PI in patients with cerebral failure was significantly higher than that in the patients without cerebral failure (1.33 vs. 1.20, P = 0.039). In patients with ACLF, the area under the curve (AUC) for PI was 0.680 (95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.52-0.85), which was significantly lower than that for the MELD score (AUC, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.77-0.99) (P = 0.04). Conclusion: The PI can be an ancillary biomarker for predicting the development of ACLF and severe hepatic encephalopathy.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.64-69
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• 2014

Among exocrine pancreatic tumors, adenosquamous carcinoma is a rare, aggressive subtype with a poor prognosis and a high potential for metastases compared with its more conventional glandular counterpart, adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. We herein describe the imaging findings of pancreatic adenosquamous cell carcinoma with solitary liver metastasis showing different imaging features and also review the previous literature to recognize characteristic imaging features of pancreatic adenosquamous cell carcinoma.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.315-325
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in lipid proton (LP) composition according to the induced obese fatty liver and to use it as basic data for treatment and diagnosis of fatty liver in the future. The phantom study was conducted to identify differences between STEAM and PRESS Pulse sequences in LP concentration. A high-fat diet (60%) was administered to eight Sprague-Dawley rats to induce obesity and fatty liver disease. Baseline magnetic resonance imaging /spectroscopy data were obtained prior to the introduction of high-fat diet, and data acquisition experiments were performed after eight weeks using procedures identical to those used for baseline studies. The six lipid proton metabolites were calculated using LCModel software. The correlation between the fat percentage and each LP, revealed that the methylene protons at 1.3 ppm showed the highest positive correlation. The α-methylene protons to carboxyl and diallylic protons showed negative correlation with fat percentage. The methylene proton showed the highest increase in the LP; however, it constituted only 71.86% of the total LP concentration. The methylene proton plays a leading role in fat accumulation in liver parenchyma.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.136-145
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• 2023

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a severe neuropsychiatric abnormality in patients with either acute or chronic liver failure. Typical brain magnetic resonance imaging findings of HE are bilateral basal ganglia high signal intensities due to manganese deposition in chronic liver disease and hyperintensity in T2, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, or diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with hemispheric white matter changes including the corticospinal tract. Low values on apparent diffusion coefficient mapping of the affected area on DWI, indicating cytotoxic edema, can be observed in acute HE. However, neuropsychological impairment in HE ranges from mild deficits in psychomotor abilities affecting quality of life to stupor or coma with higher grades of hepatic dysfunction. In particular, the long-lasting compensatory mechanisms for the altered metabolism in chronic liver disease make HE imaging results variable. Therefore, the clinical relevance of imaging findings is uncertain and differentiating HE from other metabolic diseases can be difficult. The recent introduction of concepts such as "acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF)," a new clinical entity, has led to a change in the clinical view of HE. Accordingly, there is a need to establish a corresponding concept in the field of neuroimaging diagnosis. Herein, we review HE from a historical and etiological perspective to increase understanding of brain imaging and help establish an imaging approach for advanced new concepts such as ACLF. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide an understanding of HE by reviewing neuroimaging findings based on pathological and clinical concepts of HE, thereby assisting in neuroimaging interpretation.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2022

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the change in signal sensitivity over different acquisition start times and optimize the scanning window to provide the maximal signal sensitivity of [1-¹³C]pyruvate and its metabolic products, lactate and alanine, using spatially localized hyperpolarized 3D ¹³C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI). Materials and Methods: We acquired 3D ¹³C MRSI data from the brain (n = 3), kidney (n = 3), and liver (n = 3) of rats using a 3T clinical scanner and a custom RF coil after the injection of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate. For each organ, we obtained three consecutive 3D ¹³C MRSI datasets with different acquisition start times per animal from a total of three animals. The mean signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of pyruvate, lactate, and alanine were calculated and compared between different acquisition start times. Based on the SNRs of lactate and alanine, we identified the optimal acquisition start timing for each organ. Results: For the brain, the acquisition start time of 18 s provided the highest mean SNR of lactate. At 18 s, however, the lactate signal predominantly originated from not the brain, but the blood vessels; therefore, the acquisition start time of 22 s was recommended for 3D ¹³C MRSI of the rat brain. For the kidney, all three metabolites demonstrated the highest mean SNR at the acquisition start time of 32 s. Similarly, the acquisition start time of 22 s provided the highest SNRs for all three metabolites in the liver. Conclusion: In this study, the acquisition start timing was optimized in an attempt to maximize metabolic signals in hyperpolarized 3D ¹³C MRSI examination with [1-¹³C] pyruvate as a substrate. We investigated the changes in metabolic signal sensitivity in the brain, kidney, and liver of rats to establish the optimal acquisition start time for each organ. We expect the results from this study to be of help in future studies.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.53-57
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• 2022

Hepatic hemangiomas infrequently exhibit atypical imaging features, which may cause diagnostic confusion with hepatic malignancies and lead to unnecessary surgery. We report a rare case of multilocular cystic hemangioma of the liver mimicking a mucinous cystic neoplasm of the liver in a 48-year-old female, focusing on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging features and their differential diagnosis.