title: Changes of hepatoma echo patterns with tumor growth. A study of the microanatomic basis in a rat model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The echo patterns of human hepatoma vary considerably as the tumors grow. This sonographic study investigates the microanatomic basis of the echo-pattern changes in an animal model.
  
  
  METHODS
  ACI rats (n = 35) with intrahepatically implanted Morris hepatoma 3924A were imaged with 10-MHz ultrasound from days 7 to 28 after tumor implantation. The sonograms were precisely correlated with the histologic sections and microangiograms obtained from the same section plane.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Small hepatomas (size = 6.6 +/- 1.6 mm) without necrosis demonstrated a low-echo pattern. Medium-sized tumors (size = 11.7 +/- 3.3 mm) had a low-echo periphery and a high-echo center. The low-echo periphery corresponded to viable tumor and the high-echo core corresponded to central coagulation necrosis. Large tumors (size = 20.9 +/- 7.5 mm) with extensive necrosis revealed an irregular mixed-echo pattern.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The trend of increasing echogenicity of the hepatomas with tumor growth is due to the progression of coagulation necrosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Kopecky
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Rescorla
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Galliani
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Grosfeld
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D014463:Ultrasonography