High-spatial-resolution Hepatobiliary Phase Imaging Using An Optimized Integrated Combination of Parallel Imaging and Compressed Sensing Technique

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of high-spatial-resolution hepatobiliary phase (HBP) imaging using optimized integrated combination with the compressed sensing and parallel imaging technique (Compressed SENSE).

Methods: Sixty consecutive participants underwent liver MRI and breath-hold HBP imaging using enhanced T1 high-resolution isotropic volume excitation (eTHRIVE; SENSE factor, 1.7; slice thickness/gap, 4/-2 mm; and acquisition time, 20s), eTHRIVE with Compressed SENSE (CS-eTHRIVE_4mm; C SENSE factor, 3.45; slice thickness/gap, 4/-2 mm; and acquisition time, 10s), and thin-slice eTHRIVE with Compressed SENSE (CS-eTHRIVE_2mm; C SENSE factor, 3.45; slice thickness/gap, 2/0 mm; and acquisition time, 20s). The signal intensity ratio (SIR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the liver on each HBP image were calculated. The image quality and conspicuity of hypointense nodules on HBP images were qualitatively assessed. Then, the sensitivity for detecting hypointense nodules was calculated. The quantitative and qualitative parameters of three HBP images were compared.

Results: The SIR of the three HBP images did not differ (P = 0.36). The SNR of CS-eTHRIVE_2mm was lower than that of eTHRIVE and CS-eTHRIVE_4mm (P < 0.001). CS-eTHRIVE_2mm had a better image quality than eTHRIVE and CS-eTHRIVE_4mm (P < 0.001). CS-eTHRIVE_2mm (97.5%) had a significantly better sensitivity for detecting hypointense nodules on HBP image than eTHRIVE (86.4%) and CS-eTHRIVE_4mm (89.0%) (P = 0.001‒0.006).

Conclusion: CS-eTHRIVE_2mm had an excellent image quality and lesion detectability due to its high-spatial-resolution.