title: MRI and CT of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma causing spinal cord compression.
abstract: We report the imaging features in five patients with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma causing spinal cord compression, three of which were biopsy proven and two were in patients with known diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. The radiographic, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) features are highlighted. Although the occurrence of metastatic disease in hepatocellular carcinoma is exceedingly rare, it may be increasingly encountered as survival of patients is improved with advancing methods of therapy, both surgical and palliative. It often accompanies local recurrence, and invariably signals a grave prognosis with extremely short life expectancy. Unusually, two of the five patients in this series presented initially with skeletal metastases which led to the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Organ Imaging, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Metreweli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology*; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed