FUNCTIONAL HEPATOBILIARY IMAGING WITH GADOLINIUM-EOB-DTPA - A COMPARISON OF MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING AND (153)GADOLINIUM-EOB-DTPA SCINTIGRAPHY IN RATS

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. Gadolinium-EOB-DTPA (Gd-EOB-DTPA) is a hepat obiliary magnetic resonance (MR) imaging contrast medium designed to d etect focal liver lesions, The objective of this study was to evaluate dynamic Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging as a neu method for assessing liver excretory function and to compare it with a scintigraphic metho d, the gold standard. METHODS. Changes in scintigraphic liver activity or MR liver signal intensity were intraindividually monitored over ti me after intravenous injection of 50 mu mol Gd/kg of Gd-EOB-DTPA in co ntrols and rats with common bile duct obstruction or L-ethionine-induc ed fatty liver (n = 6). RESULTS. A comparison of liver scintigraphy an d MR imaging revealed that elimination half-lives of Gd-EOB-DTPA were significantly longer in rats with common bile duct obstruction (scinti graphy: 100 +/- 27 minutes; MR imaging: 59 +/- 18 minutes) or fatty li ver (scintigraphy: 94 +/- 30 minutes; MR imaging: 72 +/- 32 minutes) t han in controls (scintigraphy: 20 +/- 2 minutes; MR imaging: 18 +/- 3) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS. Like liver scintigraphy, functional MR liver imaging using Gd-EOB-DTPA is feasible and can differentiate normal co ntrols from models of biliary and hepatocyte disease.