Evaluation of T1ρ as a potential MR biomarker for liver cirrhosis: Comparison of healthy control subjects and patients with liver cirrhosis

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to compare mean liver T1ρ values in patients with liver cirrhosis and healthy control subjects in order to evaluate T1ρ as a potential MR biomarker for liver cirrhosis.Materials and methodsTen healthy control subjects (mean age 42.7 years; 6 female, 4 male) and 21 patients with clinically diagnosed liver cirrhosis (mean age 56.5 years; 5 female, 16 male) were examined at 1.5 T (Magnetom Avanto, Siemens). T1ρ-weighted images were acquired using a 2D TurboFLASH sequence (TR/TE 3/1.31 ms, FA 8°, FoV 309 × 380 mm, resolution 2 × 2 × 6 mm, acquisition time 15 s, slice thickness 6 mm) with spin-lock preparation. T1ρ maps were calculated from five breath-hold measurements, performed with different spin-lock times (4, 8, 16, 32 and 48 ms). Mean liver T1ρ values of healthy control subjects and patients with liver cirrhosis were calculated and compared using Student t-test. In addition, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the utility of mean liver T1ρ values for the prediction of liver cirrhosis.ResultsMean liver T1ρ values in patients with liver cirrhosis (57.4 ± 7.4 ms) were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects (47.8 ± 4.2 ms; p = 0.0007). According to the ROC analysis at a threshold value of 50.1 ms the sensitivity and specificity of mean liver T1ρ in predicting liver cirrhosis were 90.5% and 90%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.90.ConclusionMean liver T1ρ values in patients with liver cirrhosis were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects suggesting a potential role of liver T1ρ as a MR biomarker for liver cirrhosis.