High-resolution three-dimensional T1-weighted hepatobiliary MR cholangiography using Gd-EOB-DTPA for assessment of biliary tree anatomy: Parallel imaging versus compressed sensing

Purpose: To compare the quality of images obtained by T1-weighted hepatobiliary MR cholangiography using Gd-EOB-DTPA with 1-mm isovoxel acquisition and compressed sensing (T1-MRC_CS) or parallel imaging (T1-MRC_PI) for assessment of biliary tree anatomy.

Method: We prospectively reviewed T1-MRC_CS, T1-MRC_PI, and respiratory-triggered 3D T2-weighted MR cholangiography (T2-MRC) images in 58 patients. Two radiologists independently assessed the three sets of images and scored the biliary tree visualization and overall image quality in all cases using a 5-point Likert scale. The resulting scores were compared among T1-MRC_CS, T1-MRC_PI, and T2-MRC images using a Friedman test followed by a Scheffe test. The inter-reader agreement in scoring was assessed using κ statistics.

Results: The image quality scores for the gallbladder on both T1-MRC_CS and T1-MRC_PI were significantly lower than those on T2-MRC (p < 0.01) for both readers. Meanwhile, the image quality scores for the right and left hepatic ducts and the anterior and posterior branches of the right hepatic duct on both T1-MRC_CS and T1-MRC_PI were significantly higher than those on T2-MRC (p < 0.05) for both readers. For Reader 2, the overall image quality scores on T1-MRC_CS and T1-MRC_PI were both significantly higher than those on T2-MRC (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the image quality scores on T1-MRC_CS and T1-MRC_PI for visualization of each bile duct (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: There may be no significant difference in quality between T1-MRC_CS images and T1-MRC_PI images for assessment of biliary tree anatomy, and both types of images may be better than T2-MRC images, although clinical indication is limited compared with T2-MRC.