Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI of the Abdomen

Imaging was performed using a 3.0T scanner (Achieva, Philips Healthcare, Best, Netherlands) using a 16 channel body coil (SENSE XL-Torso, Philips Healthcare, Best, Netherlands) as previously described (Chouhan et al2016a (link)). Briefly, anatomical imaging using a breath hold balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence was used to plan DCE studies for inclusion of the liver, retroperitoneal vessels and heart. T1 measurements were obtained using multi-flip angle (5, 7, 10, 15 and 20°) three-dimensional (3D) gradient echo imaging, with B₁ non-uniformity correction (Treier et al2007 (link)). 3D gradient turbo field echo (TFE) imaging with spectral attenuated inversion recovery (SPAIR) fat suppression was used for coronal plane DCE imaging. Sixty slices were obtained from each 15 cm volume within 3.35 s, with sequential scanning for 5 min (sequence parameters given in table 1). Ten ml of Gd-DOTA (gadoterate dimeglumine, Dotarem^®, Guerbet, Roissy, France), diluted in 10 ml of normal saline, was injected after the first five volumes were acquired at 4 ml/s (Spectris^®, Medrad Inc., USA), followed by a 20 ml saline flush. The first breath hold instruction was given before the CA injection and subjects thereafter continued self-directed expiration breath holds for the remainder of the DCE study.