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Gadoxetate-enhanced versus diffusion-weighted MRI for fused Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/MRI in patients with neuroendocrine tumours of the upper abdomen

  • Oncology
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Abstract

Objectives

To compare fused gadoxetate-enhanced Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/MRI and Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/DWI (diffusion-weighted imaging) for the assessment of abdominal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs).

Methods

Eighteen patients with suspected or histologically proven NETs of the abdomen were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients underwent Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/CT for a primary search, staging, or restaging, and received an additional MRI, including dynamic gadoxetate-enhanced T1-weighted sequences and DWI (b-values 50, 300 and 600). Co-registered gadoxetate-enhanced PET/MRI and PET/DWI were separately analysed for NET lesions by a nuclear medicine physician and a radiologist in consensus. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated on a per-region, per-organ and per-patient basis.

Results

Eighty-seven out of 684 anatomical regions, and 23 out of 270 organs, were NET-positive in 14 out of 18 patients. Region-based sensitivities and specificities were 97.7 % and 99.7 % for gadoxetate-enhanced PET/MRI and 98.9 % and 99.7 % for PET/DWI. Organ-based sensitivities and specificities were 91.3 % and 99.6 % for gadoxetate-enhanced PET/MRI and 95.7 % and 99.6 % for PET/DWI. Finally, patient-based sensitivities and specificities were 100 % and 100 % for gadoxetate-enhanced PET/MRI and 100 % and 75 % for PET/DWI. Sensitivities and specificities of the two methods did not differ significantly.

Conclusions

Gadoxetate-enhanced Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/MRI and Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/DWI are equally useful for the assessment of abdominal NETs.

Key Points

• Positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can both assess neuroendocrine tumours.

• Fusion of PET/MR imaging provides helpful information.

• Gadoxetate-enhanced Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/MRI and Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/DWI assess neuroendocrine tumours equally well.

• PET/DWI is inherently simpler than gadoxetate-enhanced PET/MRI.

• Only benign hepatic lesions pose a potential diagnostic dilemma for PET/DWI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Marius E. Mayerhoefer, Ahmed Ba-Ssalamah, Michael Weber, Siegfried Trattnig & Andreas Herneth

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Radiochemistry and Biomarker Development Unit, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Markus Mitterhauser, Harald Eidherr & Wolfgang Wadsak

  3. Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Markus Raderer

  4. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Georgios Karanikas

  5. PET/CT Center, Departments of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna/Vienna General Hospital, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Marius E. Mayerhoefer

Authors
  1. Marius E. Mayerhoefer
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  2. Ahmed Ba-Ssalamah
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  3. Michael Weber
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  8. Siegfried Trattnig
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  9. Andreas Herneth
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  10. Georgios Karanikas
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Correspondence to Marius E. Mayerhoefer.

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Mayerhoefer, M.E., Ba-Ssalamah, A., Weber, M. et al. Gadoxetate-enhanced versus diffusion-weighted MRI for fused Ga-68-DOTANOC PET/MRI in patients with neuroendocrine tumours of the upper abdomen. Eur Radiol 23, 1978–1985 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-013-2785-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-013-2785-2

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