Diagnostic accuracy of intermediate b-value diffusion-weighted imaging for detection of residual hepatocellular carcinoma following transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) in the detection of residual malignant tumor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with drug-eluting beads (DEBs). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Pre-contrast T1, T2, dynamic contrast–enhanced, and respiratory-triggered DW-MRI (b factor 0, 400, and 800 s/mm(2)) were obtained in 60 patients with HCC who underwent tran-sarterial hepatic chemoembolization with DEBs. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for the DW imaging images. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were calculated searching for the optimal cut-off value using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: DW-MRI had a sensitivity of 77.1%, a specificity of 60.7%, a PPV of 71.05%, and a NPV of 68%. The difference between the malignant and benign groups’ ADC variables was statistically significant (P < 0.003). The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve is C = 0.718 with SE = 0.069 and 95% confidence interval from 0.548 to 0.852. CONCLUSION: In our study, we demonstrated that diffusion MRI has limited diagnostic value in the assessment of viable tumor tissue after TACE with DEBs in cases of HCC.