Conspicuity of hepatocellular nodular lesions in cirrhotic livers at ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging: importance of Kupffer cell number.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate the conspicuity of hepatocellular carcinomas and dysplastic nodules on ferumoxides-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images with the number of Kupffer cells in the hepatic lesions, as compared with that in background liver in histopathologic findings.


METHODS
Sixty-nine histopathologically proved moderately or poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas, 10 well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas, and 19 dysplastic nodules were retrospectively studied in 68 patients with cirrhosis who underwent ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging. The contrast-to-noise ratio between the nodules and surrounding parenchyma was calculated at T2-weighted fast spin-echo imaging, and the difference in the number of Kupffer cells between the nodules and surrounding hepatic tissue was calculated histopathologically. The results of MR imaging and histopathologic examination were correlated.


RESULTS
All 69 moderately or poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas had high contrast-to-noise ratios at MR imaging and large differences in the number of Kupffer cells. Six of the 10 well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas had contrast-to-noise ratios of zero or nearly zero, and five of these had little difference in the number of Kupffer cells. All 19 dysplastic nodules had contrast-to-noise ratios of zero or nearly zero, and there were virtually no differences in the number of Kupffer cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatocellular nodule conspicuity at ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging depends on differences in the number of Kupffer cells within a nodule and the surrounding cirrhotic liver; moderately or poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas can be distinguished from well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas and dysplastic nodules.
Lim
J H
JH
Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Ilwon-dong, Kangnam-ku, Seoul 135-710, Korea.
Choi
D
D
Cho
S K
SK
Kim
S H
SH
Lee
W J
WJ
Lim
H K
HK
Park
C K
CK
Paik
S W
SW
Kim
Y I
YI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count; D003287:Contrast Media; D003911:Dextrans; D005260:Female; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide; D020518:Focal Nodular Hyperplasia / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010087:Oxides; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D003287:Contrast Media; D003911:Dextrans; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D010087:Oxides; D007501:Iron; C065507:ferumoxides; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide