Small (<20 mm) Enhancing Hepatic Nodules Seen on Arterial Phase MR Imaging of the Cirrhotic Liver: Clinical Implications
Yong Yeon Jeong1,2,
Donald G. Mitchell1 and
Tamotsu Kamishima1,3
1 Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 132 S. 10th
St., 1096 Main Bldg., Philadelphia, PA 19107.
2 Present address: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chonnam National
University Medical School, 8 Hackdong, Dongku, Kwangju, South Korea.
3 Present address: Department of Radiology, Hokkaido University School of
Medicine, North-15, West-7, Kita-Ku, 0608638, Sapporo, Japan.

View larger version (134K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 1A. Hepatocellular carcinoma with interval nodule growth in
41-year-old man. Nodule shows no change of signal intensity or enhancement
homogeneity. Axial T1-weighted gradient-echo MR image (TR/TE, 130/4.2) shows
nodule as isointense.
|
|

View larger version (155K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 1B. Hepatocellular carcinoma with interval nodule growth in
41-year-old man. Nodule shows no change of signal intensity or enhancement
homogeneity. Axial fast spin-echo MR image (TR/TEeff, 3157/80)
reveals isointense nodule.
|
|

View larger version (128K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 1C. Hepatocellular carcinoma with interval nodule growth in
41-year-old man. Nodule shows no change of signal intensity or enhancement
homogeneity. Axial T2-weighted gadolinium-enhanced gradient-echo dynamic MR
image (TR/TE, 130/1.5) obtained during arterial phase of bolus reveals early
homogenous enhancement (arrow) of 13-mm nodule.
|
|

View larger version (117K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 1D. Hepatocellular carcinoma with interval nodule growth in
41-year-old man. Nodule shows no change of signal intensity or enhancement
homogeneity. On follow-up axial T1-weighted gradient-echo image (120/4.2)
obtained 3 months later at the same level as C, nodule is
isointense.
|
|

View larger version (150K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 1E. Hepatocellular carcinoma with interval nodule growth in
41-year-old man. Nodule shows no change of signal intensity or enhancement
homogeneity. Axial T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image (TR/TEeff,
7500/100) obtained at same time as D shows nodule as isointense.
|
|

View larger version (111K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 1F. Hepatocellular carcinoma with interval nodule growth in
41-year-old man. Nodule shows no change of signal intensity or enhancement
homogeneity. Axial T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced gradient-echo MR image
(TR/TE, 120/2.1) obtained at same time as D shows considerable growth
of nodule (arrow), now measuring 21 mm.
|
|

View larger version (125K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 2A. 42-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma. Nodule shows
interval growth and change of enhancement homogeneity. Axial T1-weighted
gradient-echo image (TR/TE, 130/2.2) shows nodule as isointense.
|
|

View larger version (127K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 2B. 42-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma. Nodule shows
interval growth and change of enhancement homogeneity. Axial T2-weighted fast
spin-echo image (TR/TEeff, 5000/100) shows nodule as
isointense.
|
|

View larger version (114K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 2C. 42-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma. Nodule shows
interval growth and change of enhancement homogeneity. Axial
gadolinium-enhanced gradient-echo dynamic MR image (TR/TE, 7/2) obtained
during arterial phase of bolus reveals 6-mm nodule (arrow) with
homogeneous enhancement.
|
|

View larger version (127K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 2D. 42-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma. Nodule shows
interval growth and change of enhancement homogeneity. Follow-up axial
T1-weighted gradient-echo MR image (TR/TE, 130/2.2) obtained 15 months later
at same level as C shows nodule (arrow) is hypointense and now
has grown to 15 mm.
|
|

View larger version (128K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 2E. 42-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma. Nodule shows
interval growth and change of enhancement homogeneity. Axial T2-weighted fast
spin-echo MR image (TR/TEeff, 4000/90) obtained at same time as
D shows nodule (arrow) as more intense than liver.
|
|

View larger version (110K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 2F. 42-year-old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma. Nodule shows
interval growth and change of enhancement homogeneity. Axial T1-weighted
gadolinium-enhanced gradient-echo MR image (TR/TE, 7/2) obtained at same time
as D shows inhomogenous enhancement (arrow) of nodule.
|
|

View larger version (117K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 3A. Benign lesion in 63-year-old man that was not seen on
follow-up images. On axial T1-weighted gradient-echo MR image (TR/TE,
120/4.2), nodule is not visible.
|
|

View larger version (109K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 3B. Benign lesion in 63-year-old man that was not seen on
follow-up images. On axial T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image
(TR/TEeff, 4000/96), nodule is not visible.
|
|

View larger version (140K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 3C. Benign lesion in 63-year-old man that was not seen on
follow-up images. Axial gadolinium-enhanced gradient-echo dynamic MR image
(TR/TE, 120/2.2) obtained during arterial phase of bolus shows 8-mm nodule
(arrow) with homogeneous enhancement.
|
|

View larger version (110K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 3D. Benign lesion in 63-year-old man that was not seen on
follow-up images. On follow-up axial T1-weighted gradient-echo image (150/4.2)
obtained 28 months later, nodule is not visible.
|
|

View larger version (107K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 3E. Benign lesion in 63-year-old man that was not seen on
follow-up images. On axial T2-weighted single-shot fast spin-echo MR image
(infinite/100) obtained at same time as D, nodule is not visible.
|
|

View larger version (131K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 3F. Benign lesion in 63-year-old man that was not seen on
follow-up images. On axial gadolinium-enhanced gradient-echo dynamic MR image
(7/2) of left hepatic lobe obtained at same time as D, nodule is not
visible.
|
|

View larger version (13K):
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 4. Graph shows tumor-doubling time (longitudinal axis) in seven
hepatocellular carcinomas with interval growth versus difference of tumor
diameter in millimeters (transverse axis). Mean doubling time was 2.47
± 1.25 months and was less than 5 months in all tumors.
|
|

CiteULike
Complore
Connotea
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Technorati What's this?
Copyright © 2002 by the American Roentgen Ray Society.