Assessment of the Hepatocyte Fraction for Estimation of Liver Function Based on a Simple Pharmacokinetic Model

There were 16 consecutive patients (12 men, 5 women; mean age, 45.7 years; range, 33–65 years). Imaging was performed on clinical 3T scanner (Philips Ingenia) using 32ch body/cardiac coil. A hepatocyte fraction (HF) map and K map were derived. The HF and K values for Gd-EOB-DTPA were correlated with Child-Pugh scores. Patients with Child-Pugh class B disease showed significantly lower liver FA value and K value. HF value and K value were positively correlated with the Child–Pugh scores (r=0.752 to 0.855, p<0.05). HF value and K value had the largest AUC of 0.975 and 0.78 for distinguishing the Child–Pugh class A of cirrhosis from class B. K value had the most area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.99 for identifying the presence of liver cirrhosis.The study suggested that hepatocyte fraction and hepatic uptake derived from Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI can quantify liver function.