MR-PET evaluation of 1-month post-ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: preliminary observations.
PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and protocol optimization of whole-body hybrid MR-PET system performed 1-month after post-locoregional thermoablative procedures for hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight patients (6 men and 2 women; mean age, 56.6 ± 5.5 years) with 9 ablated HCCs constituted our study population. Three readers interpreted the studies to determine the presence or absence of residual malignancy. Two readers independently assessed the fused MR-PET images to compare registration accuracy of two types of T2-weighted (triggered T2 half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo and turbo spin-echo) and T1-weighted [Cartesian and radial 3D gradient echo (GRE)]. Image quality evaluation of both 3D-GRE T1-weighted sequences was evaluated. Kappa statistics were used to measure inter-observer agreement. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for qualitative data analysis. RESULTS: Definite residual tumor was observed in 3/9 ablations; two were PET positive. All residual tumors were isovascular on MRI. Radial 3D-GRE demonstrated significantly superior MR-PET subjective co-registration in comparison with the remaining sequences and showed a non-significant trend toward higher image quality scores than Cartesian GRE. CONCLUSION: Whole-body hybrid MR-PET is feasible as a part of 1-month follow-up post-locoregional thermoablative treatment for HCC. Radial 3D-GRE offers improved co-registration with PET data, with overall good image quality.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- Whole Body Imaging
- Treatment Outcome
- Reproducibility of Results
- Postoperative Period
- Postoperative Complications
- Positron-Emission Tomography
- Observer Variation
- Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
- Multimodal Imaging
- Middle Aged
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Whole Body Imaging
- Treatment Outcome
- Reproducibility of Results
- Postoperative Period
- Postoperative Complications
- Positron-Emission Tomography
- Observer Variation
- Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
- Multimodal Imaging
- Middle Aged