Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide-Enhanced Liver Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Comparison of 1.5 T and 3.0 T Imaging for Detection of Focal Malignant Liver Lesions

Objectives:We sought to compare the image quality, lesion conspicuity, and the diagnostic performance of 1.5 T and 3.0 T superparamagnetic iron oxide-enhanced liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting focal malignant hepatic lesions. Materials and Methods:A total of 35 patients with pathologically proven liver malignancy underwent both 1.5 and 3.0 T SPIO-enhanced MRI. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the alternative-free response receiver operating characteristic method. Image artifacts, quality, and the lesion conspicuity were analyzed. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the lesion were calculated. Results:No significant difference of area under ROC curve (Az value) was noted. The mean SNR and CNR of the lesions was higher in the 3.0 T sets. There was no difference between the 1.5 T and the 3.0 T image sets for lesion conspicuity, but the image quality was better on 1.5 T. Motion and susceptibility artifacts were more frequent on 3.0 T. Conclusion:Diagnostic accuracies of the SPIO-enhanced MRI were equivalent on the 1.5 T and 3.0 T image sets. More prominent artifacts on 3.0 T superparamagnetic iron oxide-enhanced liver MRI counteracted advantage of higher SNR and CNR of 3.0 T.

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