Application value of quantitative parameters of 3.0T MR dynamic contrast enhancement scan in the evaluation of efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization on advanced hepatocelluar caricinoma

Objective To study the application value of quantitative parameters of 3.0T MR dynamic contrastenhancement scan (DCE-MRI) in the evaluation of efficacy after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on advanced hepatocelluar caricinoma (HCC). Methods A total of 124 patients with advanced HCC who were scheduled to undergo TACE in Nanyang Central Hospital from June 2013 to June 2017 were selected for prospective studies. T1WI, T2WI and DCE-MRI scans were performed before and after treatment, and the regions of interest were selected and pharmacokinetic dual-chamber model was established. The quantitative parameters of volume transfer constant (Ktrans), rate constant (Kep) and extravascular/extracellular space volume (Ve) were calculated. The selected patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment effects. And the differences in Ktrans, Kep and Ve were compared. And the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze thevalue of each parameter in evaluating the treatment effects of TACE. Results Evaluated results at 1 month after TACE showed there were 92 cases (74.19%) of effective treatment among 124 patients with HCC. The Ktrans in effective group was significantly higher than that in ineffective group at 1 week before operation (P<0.05), and there were significant differences in the Kep and Ve between the two groups (P<0.05). The Ktrans and Kep were significantly decreased in effective group at 1 month after operation (P<0.05), and the Kep was significantly decreased in ineffective group (P<0.05), and the Ktrans and Kep in effective group were lower than those in ineffective group (P<0.05). The sensitivities of Ktrans and Kep in evaluating TACE efficacy were 0.826 and 0.674 respectively, and the specificities were 0.875 and 0.781 respectively (P<0.05), and the sensitivity and specificity of Ktrans combined with Kep were 0.935 and 0.875 respectively, and their clinical value was significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions DCE-MRI quantitative parameters Ktrans and Kep have high clinical value in evaluating the treatment effects of TACE on advanced HCC, and they are more objective and accurate than traditional imaging and semi-quantitative analysis. Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization; Magnetic resonance dynamic contrast enhancement scan; Quantitative parameters; Efficacy evaluation