Signal Changes in Liver, Spleen and Bone Marrow at SPIO (Ferucarbotran) Enhanced MR Imaging in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis, Hepatitis and Normal Liver

Akiyuki Torigoe¹, Akira Yamamoto¹, Takenori Yamashita¹, Makito Kobatake¹, Shigeru Watanabe¹, Daigo Tanimoto¹, Akihiko kanki¹, Katsuyoshi Ito¹

The purpose of this study was to clarify whether the uptake of SPIO in the spleen increases or decreases at SPIO-enhanced MR imaging in patients with cirrhosis, hepatitis and normal liver, and to evaluate the association with liver and bone marrow uptake of SPIO. Our results showed that the spleen uptake of SPIO increases in cirrhotic patients while the liver uptake of SPIO decreases in cirrhosis. This fact suggested that the spleen and bone marrow uptake of SPIO increase as the other excretion courses when the liver uptake of SPIO decreases in cirrhosis.