Reproducibility of MRI-derived liver surface nodularity score: analysis of patients with repeated MRI in various scanners

Purpose To assess trans-regional differences, reproducibility across different MRI scanners, and interobserver agreement of liver surface nodularity (LSN) score from routine liver MRI and to evaluate the correlation between LSN score and liver stiffness (LS) value on MR elastography. Materials and methods Ninety patients who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI twice using different MRI scanners within a year were evaluated. On axial hepatobiliary phase images, right anterior (LSN RT_ANT ), right posterior (LSN RT_POST ), and left anterior hepatic surface (LSN LT ) were chosen for the quantification of LSN score. Repeated-measures ANOVA, paired t test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used for statistical analysis. Results LSN scores from high to low were LSN RT_POST , LSN RT_ANT , and LSN LT , representing trans-regional differences ( p