Effectiveness of deep learning-based reconstruction for improvement of image quality and liver tumor detectability in the hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

• Published in: Abdominal imaging Vol. 49; no. 10; pp. 3450 - 3463
• Main Authors: Takayama, Yukihisa, Sato, Keisuke, Tanaka, Shinji, Murayama, Ryo, Jingu, Ryotaro, Yoshimitsu, Kengo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Contrast Media; Deep Learning; Effectiveness; Female; Gadolinium; Gadolinium DTPA; Gastroenterology; Hepatobiliary; Hepatology; Humans; Image enhancement; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Image processing; Image quality; Image reconstruction; Image resolution; Imaging; Lesions; Liver cancer; Liver Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Medical imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Radiology; Retrospective Studies; Tumors; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Liver tumor; Hepatobiliary phase; Gd-EOB-MRI; Deep learning-based reconstruction (DLR)
• ISSN: 2366-0058; 2366-004X; 2366-0058
• DOI: 10.1007/s00261-024-04374-w

Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of deep learning-based reconstruction (DLR) in improving image quality and tumor detectability of isovoxel high-resolution breath-hold fat-suppressed T1-weighted imaging (HR-BH-FS-T1WI) in the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) of Gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (Gd-EOB-MRI). Materials and methods This retrospective evaluated 42 patients with 98 liver tumors who underwent Gd-EOB-MRI between March 2023 and May 2023 using three techniques based on HBP imaging: isovoxel HR-BH-FS-T1WI reconstructed (1) with DLR (BH-DLR +) and (2) without DLR (BH-DLR −) and (3) HR-FS-T1WI scanned with a free-breathing technique using a navigator-echo-triggered technique and DLR (Navi-DLR +). The three techniques were qualitatively and quantitatively compared by the Friedman test and the Bonferroni post-hoc test. Tumor detectability was compared using the McNemar test. Results BH-DLR + (3.85, average score of two radiologists) showed significantly better qualitative scores for image noise than BH-DLR − (2.84) and Navi-DLR + (3.37) (p < 0.0167), and Navi-DLR + showed significantly better scores than BH-DLR − (p < 0.0167). BH-DLR + (3.77) and BH-DLR − (3.77) showed significantly better qualitative scores for respiratory motion artifact than Navi-DLR + (2.75) (p < 0.0167), but there was no significant difference in scores between BH-DLR + and BH-DLR − (p > 0.0167). BH-DLR + (0.32) and Navi-DLR + (0.33) showed significantly higher lesion-to-nonlesion CR than BH-DLR − (0.29) (p < 0.0167), but there was no significant difference in lesion-to-nonlesion CR between BH-DLR + and Navi-DLR + (p > 0.0167). BH-DLR + (89.8%) showed significantly better tumor detectability than BH-DLR − (76.0%) and Navi-DLR + (77.6%) (p < 0.05). Conclusion The use of DLR for isovoxel HR-BH-FS-T1WI was effective in improving image quality and tumor detectability. Graphical abstract