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Cirrhotic Nodules: Association between MR Imaging Signal Intensity and Intranodular Blood Supply¹

¹ From the Department of Radiology, Kanazawa Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan (R.S., O.M., S.K., N.T., J.S., T.G.); Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Fukuiken Saiseikai Hospital, Fukui, Japan (R.S., S.M.); and Department of Radiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan (K.U., M.K.). Received August 10, 2004; revision requested October 19; revision received November 23; accepted January 12, 2005. Supported in part by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture; Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), 14570841, 2003; and a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Address correspondence to R.S. e-mail: rieko{at}rad.m.kanazawa-u.ac.jp).

PURPOSE: To retrospectively determine whether there is a relationship between the intranodular blood supply evaluated at computed tomography (CT) during arterial portography (CTAP) and CT during hepatic arteriography (CTHA) and the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging signal intensity of nodules associated with cirrhosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Neither institutional review board approval nor informed consent was required for retrospective reviews of medical records and images. One hundred fourteen hepatocellular nodules 10 mm or greater in largest diameter in 58 patients (39 men, 19 women; mean age, 61 years) with cirrhosis were evaluated at CTAP, CTHA, and MR imaging. The CTAP and CTHA nodule findings were divided into three main types: Type A nodules were isoattenuating at CTAP and hypoattenuating at CTHA; type B nodules, slightly hypoattenuating at CTAP and hypoattenuating at CTHA; and type C nodules, strongly hypoattenuating at CTAP and hyperattenuating at CTHA. The relationships between the CTAP and CTHA findings and the MR imaging signal intensity among these nodules were analyzed by using the ² test.

RESULTS: On T1-weighted MR images, 27 (63%) of 43 type A nodules were hyperintense, nine (39%) of 23 type B nodules were isointense, and 19 (48%) of 40 type C nodules were hypointense; differences were not significant. On T2-weighted MR images, 31 (72%) of 43 type A nodules were hypointense (P < .05), 12 (52%) of 23 type B nodules were isointense, and 34 (85%) of 40 type C nodules were hyperintense (P < .05).

CONCLUSION: There was a significant association between intranodular blood supply and nodule signal intensity on T2-weighted MR images. However, study findings did not show whether the blood itself (ie, blood volume or blood flow amount) directly influenced the signal intensity.

© RSNA, 2005

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