Ferucarbotran-enhanced 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging using parallel imaging technique compared with triple-phase multidetector row computed tomography for the preoperative detection of hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: To compare diagnostic performance of ferucarbotran-enhanced 3.0-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging using parallel imaging technique with that of triple-phase multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) for the preoperative detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Eighty-six consecutive patients with a total of 128 surgically proven HCCs were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent ferucarbotran-enhanced 3.0-T MR imaging using parallel imaging technique and triple-phase MDCT before hepatic resection. Three experienced radiologists independently analyzed each images on a segment-by-segment basis. The accuracy of these techniques for the detection of HCC was assessed by performing a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of 104 resected hepatic segments with at least 1 HCC and 113 resected hepatic segments without HCC. Results: The mean value of the area under the ROC curve (Az) of the ferucarbotran-enhanced 3.0-T MR imaging (0.990) was significantly higher than that of the triple-phase MDCT (0.964) (P = 0.00). The mean sensitivity of the ferucarbotran-enhanced 3.0-T MR imaging (98.1%) was significantly higher than that of the triple-phase MDCT (92.9%) (P = 0.00). The higher sensitivity was largely attributable to a greater ability of the 3.0-T MR imaging to detect small HCC (≤1 cm) (92.6% in 3.0-T MR imaging and 37.0% in MDCT; P = 0.00). No significant difference was found for their mean specificities (98.2% in 3.0-T MR imaging and 97.6% in MDCT; P = 0.86). Conclusions: Ferucarbotran-enhanced 3.0-T MR imaging using parallel imaging technique is a more accurate diagnostic tool than triple-phase MDCT for the preoperative detection of HCC. Ferucarbotran-enhanced 3.0-T MR imaging has a higher sensitivity than triple-phase MDCT, especially for small HCCs (≤1 cm).