Rationale and objectives: To compare the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging characteristics of gadolinium-DTPA (Gd-DTPA), a low-molecular-weight contrast agent, and polylysine-Gd-DTPA, a macromolecular contrast agent, in two types of hepatocarcinomas (HCC) in the rat.
Methods: T1-weighted spin-echo images were obtained in 13 rats with chemically induced HCC and 26 rats with Novikoff HCC before and 3 minutes to 60 hours after administration of either Gd-DTPA or polylysine-Gd-DTPA.
Results: Three minutes after polylysine-Gd-DTPA administration, the tumor-to-liver contrast of the two types of HCC increased significantly (positive contrast for chemically induced HCC and negative contrast for Novikoff HCC). At 30 minutes and 60 hours, the tumor-to-liver contrast remained above baseline values in chemically induced HCC and returned progressively to baseline values in Novikoff HCC. No significant increase in tumor-to-liver contrast was observed after Gd-DTPA administration.
Conclusions: These results suggest that polylysine-Gd-DTPA provides a higher and more prolonged increase in tumor-to-liver contrast than Gd-DTPA.