Distinction between hemangioma of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma: value of labeled RBC-SPECT scanning

Department of Medicine, Kobe City General Hospital, Japan.

The role of adding single-photon emission CT (SPECT) to 99mTc-labeled RBC imaging of the liver was evaluated by specifically focusing on the differentiation between hepatic hemangioma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Planar RBC imaging followed by blood-pool SPECT scanning was performed in 77 patients with a total of 108 hemangiomas and in 29 patients with a total of 46 hepatocellular carcinomas. All lesions were smaller than 5 cm in diameter. Thirty-six (33%) of 108 hemangiomas were detected by planar delayed RBC imaging, whereas 63 (58%) were detected by the delayed RBC-SPECT scan. The smallest hemangioma shown by delayed RBC-SPECT scanning was 1.4 cm in diameter, compared with 1.7 cm by planar RBC scanning. When confined to nodules larger than 1.4 cm in diameter, 42% of hemangiomas (36/85) were detected by planar delayed RBC imaging, whereas 74% (63/85) were detected by delayed RBC-SPECT. Increase in sensitivity was noted in nodules 2.1-4.0 cm in diameter. No hepatocellular carcinomas were shown by delayed RBC planar or SPECT scans. We concluded that with the addition of SPECT, the sensitivity of delayed RBC scans in the detection of small hemangiomas is considerably improved. Delayed RBC-SPECT scanning can be used to distinguish hemangioma from hepatocellular carcinoma.
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