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Impact of Multidetector CT Hepatic Arteriography on the Planning of Chemoembolization Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

¹ Department of Radiology, Stanford University Medical Center, 3000 Pasteur Dr., H-3646, Stanford, CA 94305-5642.
² Department of Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94305-5642.

OBJECTIVES. We examined the impact of the increased sensitivity for hypervascular masses of multidetector CT hepatic arteriography on treatment decisions involving selective chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinomas.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Thirty patients were referred for chemoembolization of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Initial selective chemoembolization plans were formulated on the basis of diagnostic biphasic CT or MR imaging. Ultrafast CT hepatic arteriography was performed using a multidetector CT scanner and selective contrast material injection into the hepatic artery. The entire liver was scanned in a single breath-hold of approximately 20 sec with a slice thickness of 1 mm. Lesions and their arterial supplies were identified, and these data were immediately used to formulate a final plan for chemoembolization.

RESULTS. Hypervascular masses were detected in 29 patients. In 16 (53%) of the patients, preprocedural CT or MR imaging underestimated the number of lesions. In nine (30%) of these 16 patients, the additional lesions were detected only on CT hepatic arteriography, not on conventional angiography. CT hepatic arteriography findings had a major impact on planning the way in which chemoembolization treatment was performed. In three of the nine patients, the previously undetected lesions were treated with additional superselective chemoembolization. In the other six patients, chemoembolization was performed less selectively than originally planned.

CONCLUSION. Primarily because of the high sensitivity of multidetector CT hepatic arteriography in revealing small and multifocal hepatomas, findings of this modality frequently alter treatment plans involving selective administration of chemoembolic material.

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