Effect of Visualized Respiratory Training on Patient Cooperation and Image Quality in Gadoxetic Acid Disodium-Enhanced Liver MRI: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Li Mei, Xin Luo, Bingyan Wang et al.
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In 30 seconds
This prospective, single-centre randomized controlled trial compared visualized respiratory training with standard verbal instruction in 184 patients undergoing first-time gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI. Full cooperation was higher with visualized training (56.5% [48/85] vs. 27.3% [27/99]; OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.87, 6.40). The intervention was also associated with lower motion-artifact scores in three contrast phases, higher arterial and transitional phase SNR/CNR, and shorter preparation time. Scanning time and transient severe motion incidence did not differ significantly between groups.
Key findings
- Full cooperation was 56.5% [48/85] with visualized training versus 27.3% [27/99] with verbal training (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.87, 6.40).
- Motion-artifact scores were significantly lower in arterial, portal venous, and transitional phases with visualized training.
- Preparation time was 14.40 ± 2.36 versus 16.16 ± 2.20 min (mean difference: -1.76 min; 95% CI: -2.42, -1.101).
- Scanning time and transient severe motion incidence did not differ significantly between groups.
Why it matters
Breath-hold cooperation affects motion artifacts and the interpretability of dynamic liver MRI. In this trial, visual feedback improved cooperation and image-quality measures while reducing preparation time, suggesting that respiratory instruction can influence both image acquisition and workflow. The findings provide evidence for evaluating this approach in routine imaging settings, while recognizing that the trial was conducted at one centre.
What to keep in mind
The trial was prospective and randomized but conducted at a single centre; the abstract does not report longer-term or diagnostic-accuracy outcomes.