Preliminary Comparison of Multi-scale and Multi-model Direct Inversion Algorithms for 3T MR Elastography.

Purpose: To elucidate whether any differences are present in the stiffness map obtained with a multiscale direct inversion algorithm (MSDI) vs that with a multimodel direct inversion algorithm (MMDI), both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Materials And Methods: The MR elastography (MRE) data of 37 consecutive patients who underwent liver MR elastography between September and October 2014 were retrospectively analyzed by using both MSDI and MMDI. Two radiologists qualitatively assessed the stiffness maps for the image quality in consensus, and the measured liver stiffness and measurable areas were quantitatively compared between MSDI and MMDI.

Which system is better to predict prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization as initial therapy? Comparison between CLIP and JIS in a Japanese population.

Background There has been no consensus as to which system, either the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) or the Japan Integrated Staging (JIS) system, is suitable to predict the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) as initial therapy. Purpose To retrospectively compare the usefulness of CLIP and JIS in predicting and stratifying the prognosis of HCC patients treated by TACE. Material and Methods Between 1995 and 2005, consecutive 728 patients with untreated HCC who underwent TACE in our institute were selected for this study.

MR elastography of the liver at 3.0 T in diagnosing liver fibrosis grades; preliminary clinical experience.

Objectives: To clarify the usefulness of 3.0-T MR elastography (MRE) in diagnosing the histological grades of liver fibrosis using preliminary clinical data.

Materials And Methods: Between November 2012 and March 2014, MRE was applied to all patients who underwent liver MR study at a 3.

Focal fatty change in the liver that developed after cholecystectomy.

Focal fatty change of the segment IV of the liver has been attributed to local systemic venous inflow replacing the portal venous supply, which could develop or be accentuated after gastrectomy. However, focal fatty change due to aberrant pancreaticoduodenal vein that developed after cholecystectomy has never been reported. We report a 30-year-old man with such a rare lesion, which was initially misdiagnosed as a hepatocellular carcinoma, but was confirmed on computed tomography during selective gastroduodenal arteriography.

Optimization of scanning parameters for MR elastography at 3.0 T clinical unit: volunteer study.

Purpose: We sought to optimize scanning parameters for MR elastography at 3.0 T clinical unit.

Materials And Methods: 10 volunteers were scanned with various magnetization encoding gradient (MEG) frequencies from 60 to 120 Hz at every 10 Hz, with otherwise fixed parameters (external driver frequency/amplitude = 60 Hz/50 %, 10 mm slice thickness, etc.

Measurement consistency of MR elastography at 3.0 T: comparison among three different region-of-interest placement methods.

Purpose: To test inter- and intraobserver consistency of liver stiffness measurement on MR elastography (MRE) at 3.0 T.

Materials And Methods: Two abdominal radiologists independently measured stiffness of the liver on MRE in three volunteers and seven patients with chronic liver diseases using three different region-of-interest (ROI) placement methods.

Warming effect on miriplatin-lipiodol suspension for potential use as a chemotherapeutic agent for transarterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma: In vitro study.

Aim: To elucidate whether warming may reduce the viscosity of miriplatin-lipiodol suspension (MPT/LPD) and also the injection pressure through microcatheters, for potential use as a chemotherapeutic agent of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Viscosity of MPT/LPD prepared at on-label dose was measured in vitro at 25°C, 30°C, 40°C, 50°C and 60°C using capillary tube method. Reproducibility of viscosity change was also tested.

Papillary renal cell carcinoma with extensive paraaortic nodal metastasis mimicking malignant lymphoma.

A 52-year-old woman with abdominal distension underwent computed tomography (CT) that demonstrated extensive paraaortic lymphadenopathy and a right renal mass. Compared to the renal cortex, the lesions exhibited low signal intensity on T(1)- and T(2)-weighted images and high intensity on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images. We suspected malignant lymphoma and performed excisional biopsy, which revealed metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma.