The present study aimed to evaluate regional liver function impairment following transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhanced by gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA). Additionally, this study evaluated the associations between signal intensity and various clinical factors. A prospective study was conducted between March 2012 and May 2013 with a total of 35 patients. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI was performed 3-5 days after TACE therapy. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) was subsequently calculated for healthy liver tissue regions and peritumoral regions, prior to and 20 min after Gd-EOB-DTPA administration. The correlation between clinical factors and relative SNR was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient or Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Prior to Gd-EOB-DTPA administration, the SNR values showed no significant difference (t=1.341, P=0.191) in healthy liver tissue regions (50.53±15.99; range, 11.25-83.46) compared with peritumoral regions (49.81±15.85; range, 12.34-81.53). On measuring at 20 min following Gd-EOB-DTPA administration, the SNR in healthy liver tissue regions (82.55±33.33; range, 31.45-153.02) was significantly higher (t=3.732, P<0.001) compared with that in peritumoral regions (75.77±27.41; range, 31.42-144.49). The relative SNR in peritumoral regions correlated only with the quantity of iodized oil used during TACE therapy (r=0.528, P=0.003); the age, gender, diameter and blood supply of the tumor, or Child-Pugh class of the patient did not correlate with relative SNR. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI may be an effective way to evaluate regional liver function impairment following TACE therapy.
Keywords: gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid; magnetic resonance imaging; regional liver function; transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.