HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nishie, A. Articles by Honda, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nishie, A. Articles by Honda, H. Social Bookmarking                      What's this? Hotlight (NEW!) What's Hotlight?

Radiologic Detectability of Minute Portal Venous Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

¹ Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
² Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
³ Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether minute portal venous invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be diagnosed radiologically.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. CT hepatic arteriography and CT with arterioportography (CTAP) of 15 patients with minute portal venous invasion (group 1) and 30 patients without it (group 0) were evaluated. An area showing low attenuation on CTAP and high attenuation on CT hepatic arteriography around the tumor was defined as an area of peritumoral hemodynamic change. The shape and size of the area were compared between the two groups. The ratio of the area of peritumoral hemodynamic change volume to tumor volume (area volume-tumor volume ratio) was used as an indicator of the size of the area of peritumoral hemodynamic change and was categorized as one of three grades: grade I, 10% or less; grade II, between 10% and 30%; and grade III, 30% or more. The detectability of minute portal invasion was assessed when grade III was considered as an indicator. Each comparison was also made independently when the tumor diameter either was limited to less than 3 cm or was 3 cm or more.

RESULTS. Three types of area of peritumoral hemodynamic change were identified: wedge-shaped, belt-shaped or irregular, and linear. No significant difference in the frequency of each type of area of peritumoral hemodynamic change was observed between the two groups. The area volume-tumor volume ratio in group 1 was larger than that in group 0, with statistical significance when the tumor diameter was less than 3 cm (p = 0.046). Positive and negative predictive values were 71.4% and 75.0%, respectively, when the tumor diameter was less than 3 cm.

CONCLUSION. The area of peritumoral hemodynamic change in HCC patients with minute portal invasion (group 1) may be larger than in those without it (group 0), especially when tumors are small.

Keywords: CT hepatic arteriography • CT with arterioportography • hepatocellular carcinoma • liver disease • portal venous invasion • prognosis

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?