Comparative analysis of the efficacy and accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and contrast-enhanced CT for residual and new lesions after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with primary liver cancer

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) for residual and new lesions after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with primary liver cancer (PHC). METHODS: Seventy-two PHC patients admitted to Linyi Central Hospital from May 2018 to May 2020 were selected as the study subjects, with a total of 92 lesions. All patients were treated with TACE, and were followed up at 6 months postoperatively. In addition, all patients underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA), and with DSA results serving as the gold standard for diagnosis, the efficacy and accuracy of MRI and CECT for residual and new lesions after TACE in PHC patients were evaluated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the specificity between the two diagnostic methods (P>0.05), and the diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity of MRI were markedly higher than those of CECT (P<0.05). The number of residual and new lesions diagnosed by MRI was notably higher than that by multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) (P<0.05), and the detection rate of residual and new lesions after TACE in PHC patients with different types of iodized oil deposition by MRI was significantly higher than that by CECT (P<0.05). Also, the number of postoperative tumor capsules diagnosed by MRI was considerably higher than that by CECT (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two diagnostic methods in the score of residual enhancement appearances in the arterial phase after surgery (P>0.05). Furthermore, there were no notable differences between the two diagnostic methods in the diagnosis of portal vein tumorous emboli and the source of blood supply to lesions after surgery (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity of MRI for residual and new lesions after TACE in PHC patients were higher than those of CECT. However, these two diagnostic methods were similar in diagnosing portal vein tumorous emboli, the source of blood supply to lesions, and the score of residual enhancement appearances in the arterial phase after surgery.