The Application Value Of LAVA Integrated With ASSET In The Hepatic Portal Vein Imaging

Purpose: To evaluate the application value of 3D-LAVA integrated with ASSET in Liver Dynamic-enhancement scanning, and investigate the feasibility of LAVA integrated with ASSET to obtain multi-phase dynamic enhancement images and substitute the conventional CE-MRA in the hepatic portal vein imaging.Method and Materials: 147 patients underwent conventional plain and contrast enhancement liver MR imaging. Axial T2WI fat suppressed, Axial T1WI fat suppressed, Axial T1WI opposite phase, Axial FIESTA, coronal FIESTA and ASSET Calibration were used for conventional plain scan. 3D-LAVA and 2D-FSPGR were used for contrast enhancement liver MR scanning in 90 and 57 patients respectively. In 3D-LAVA group, integrated ASSET was used in 72 patients and was not employed for the rest. Of 57 patients who underwent the examination by using 2D-FSPGR, portal vein CE-MRA was performed in 20. The ability of 3D-LAVA to detect the lesion and the advantage to shorten the acquisition time after integrating with ASSET were analyzed. Original portal phase images of 60 patients in 3D-LAVA group were processed by using MIP to illustrate the anatomy of portal vein, and compared with that shown by CE-MRA to evaluate the illustration ability of two approaches.Results: 133, 71, 51 foci were detected on T2WI fat suppressed, 3D-LAVA and 2D-FSPGR images respectively in 47 patients with focal lesions. In 3D-LAVA group integrated with ASSET, earlier and peak arterial phase images were acquired in 34 cases; and earlier, peak and late arterial phase images were acquired in 23 cases. The illustration of portal vein anatomy by 3D-LAVA were similar with it shown by portal vein CE-MRA(X2=0.07 ,P>0.05, there was no significant difference), Portal vein and its branches revealed conformably with different orientation used in LAVA acquiring.Conclusion: 3D-LAVA integrated with ASSET has higher application value for obtaining high quality multi-phase dynamic enhancement images of liver in short time, increasing the ability of small lesion discovery, and substituting the conventional CE-MRA completely in the hepatic portal vein imaging.