Objective: The objective of our study was to identify whether quantitative measurements from gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI are useful for predicting posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with and in combination with future remnant liver volume (FRLV) and an indocyanine green (ICG) clearance test.
Materials and methods: Preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR images were retrospectively evaluated in 73 patients who underwent anatomic liver resection for HCC between 2011 and 2013. For quantitative measurement of hepatocyte function, relative liver enhancement (RLE) and remnant hepatocyte uptake index (rHUI) were measured using hepatobiliary phase MR images. FRLV was determined using measurements from preoperative CT scans. Univariate and multivariate analyses of measurements from gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI, ICG clearance tests, and FRLV for finding predictors of PHLF were performed. To compare the diagnostic performance of predictors, ROC analyses were also performed.
Results: Eighteen (25%) of 73 patients met the criteria for PHLF. Univariate analysis revealed that all measurements related to MRI including RLE, rHUI, ICG clearance, and FRLV were significantly associated with PHLF. Multivariate analysis showed that RLE, FRLV, ICG-plasma disappearance rate (ICG-PDR), rHUI, and rHUI corrected for body weight (rHUI-BW) were independent predictors of PHLF (p = 0.011, p = 0.034, p = 0.003, p < 0.001, and p = 0.001, respectively). In ROC analyses, AUCs of rHUI and rHUI-BW were larger than those of other independent predictors; the differences were statistically significant (for rHUI-BW vs RLE, ICG-PDR, and FRLV, p = 0.016, 0.007, and 0.046, respectively; for rHUI vs RLE and ICG-PDR, p = 0.045 and 0.016, respectively).
Conclusion: Measurements from gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI predicted PHLF better than the ICG clearance test in patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy.
Keywords: MRI; hepatectomy; indocyanine clearance test; liver failure.