Sonographic features of hepatic artery calcification in chronic renal failure.
OBJECTIVE
Little is known about radiological aspects of hepatic artery calcification. For this reason, the sonographic features of calcified hepatic arteries were studied in patients with chronic renal failure who frequently develop tissue calcification due to hyperparathyroidism.


METHODS
Ultrasound was performed in 314 patients on dialysis who underwent examination of the liver, spleen and kidney twice in the past 4 years and were reevaluated with particular attention to acoustic shadowing. Abdominal CT was carried out in 219 of these 314 patients, and ultrasound findings were reevaluated with reference to CT findings.


RESULTS
A large acoustic shadow was seen in the hilum that corresponded to the calcified hepatic artery on CT in 8 patients, and in another 9, a similar large shadow was seen in the hilum without CT confirmation. Acoustic shadows of various sizes were definitely or most likely due to arterial calcification within the liver in 36 patients. The strength of shadow depended on the angle at which the ultrasound beam hit the artery. Probable calcification of small arteries accompanying portal veins was seen in 70 patients. These changes are different from those due to pneumobilia and biliary tract diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
Calcification of the hepatic artery can be identified by its acoustic shadow.
Okuda
K
K
First Department of Medicine, Second Department of Surgery, Chiba University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan.
Kobayashi
S
S
Hayashi
H
H
Nakajima
K
K
Ohtake
Y
Y
Yoshida
H
H
Kashima
T
T
Irie
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography