Optimization of hepatobiliary phase delay time of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for identification of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis of different degrees of severity

Figure 5 Visibility of a hepatocellular carcinoma focus at different hepatobiliary phase delay time points in a patient with Child-Pugh C cirrhosis. An HCC focus of 1.5 cm × 1.7 cm was found in the right lobe of the liver in a 38-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B-related cirrhosis. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging shows a weak contrast between liver parenchyma and HCC focus presenting as mild hypointensity (+/–). It seems that a longer DT (such as DT-15, DT-20, or DT-25) could slightly improve the visualization of HCC focus. HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma.