Magnetic resonance imaging of Long-Evans cinnamon rats as a new model of hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Following hereditary hepatitis, Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats spontaneously develop hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) histopathologically similar to human well-differentiated HCC. We demonstrated that LEC rats are an appropriate model of evaluating magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of well-differentiated liver tumors.


METHODS
Six 23-25-month-old LEC rats were studied using liver MR imaging and histologic observation.


RESULTS
Signal intensity of HCCs without cystic areas was normal or slightly high on T1-weighted images and slightly high on T2-weighted images. Histopathologically, most tumors resembled human highly or well-differentiated HCCs.


CONCLUSIONS
The LEC rat is a good model of investigating MR imaging of well-differentiated HCC.
Nakakoshi
T
T
Department of Radiology, Bibai Rosai Hospital, Japan.
Kajiyama
M
M
Fujita
N
N
Jong-Hon
K
K
Takeichi
N
N
Miyasaka
K
K
D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains