Double contrast-enhanced MRI of viral hepatitis-induced cirrhosis: correlation of gross morphological signs with hepatic fibrosis

¹ Department of Radiology and the Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

	Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic ability of the expanded gallbladder fossa and right posterior hepatic notch signs for hepatic fibrosis determined by double contrast-enhanced MRI. For patients with chronic viral hepatitis B (n = 96) or hepatitis C (n = 13) who underwent gadopentate dimeglumine-enhanced dynamic MRI followed by ferucarbotran-enhanced gradient echo imaging, the degree of parenchymal fibrosis was categorised into three groups (I, pre-cirrhotic or minimal fibrosis; II, mild to moderate fibrosis; III, advanced cirrhosis) based on the extent of reticulation and nodularity. Each group was evaluated for the presence of a sharp notch in the posterior–medial surface of the right lobe of the liver and expanded gallbladder fossa. The expanded gallbladder fossa sign gradually increased with an increasing degree of fibrosis (Group I, 50%; Group II, 61%; Group III, 78%), and there was no significant difference (p>0.5) between hepatitis B (67%) and C (73%). For the right posterior hepatic notch sign, only 6% of Group I and Group II patients showed positive results; 27% of hepatitis B patients vs 90% of hepatitis C patients in Group III showed the sign (p<0.05). Owing to its low prevalence, even in advanced cirrhosis, the right posterior hepatic notch sign is of little value in the diagnosis of cirrhosis from chronic hepatitis B virus infection, whereas an expanded gallbladder fossa could be used as a non-specific indicator of early fibrosis before the gross appearance of advanced hepatic fibrosis.