Ferumoxide-enhanced MR imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation with histologic tumor grade and tumor vascularity.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate ferumoxide-enhanced MR imaging findings of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in correlation with the histologic tumor grades and the tumor vascularity evaluated by CT hepatic arteriography (CTHA) and CT during arterial portography (CTAP) combined.


METHODS
By searching the radiologic, surgical, and pathologic reports of our institution between January 1999 and February 2001, we identified 43 patients with 51 pathologically confirmed HCCs who underwent ferumoxide-enhanced MR imaging and combination CTHA and CTAP within two weeks. The HCCs consisted of 17 well-differentiated, 28 moderately differentiated, and six poorly differentiated tumors. The MR and CT were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists in consensus for signal intensity on MR images and vascularity on CT. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated to correlate the frequency of tumors with ferumoxide uptake with the histologic tumor grades and the tumor vascularity on CTHA and CTAP.


RESULTS
A total of 45 tumors (88%) did not take up ferumoxide, and thus showed distinct, homogeneous hyperintensity. Six tumors (12%) ranging 5-16 mm in size (mean, 11 mm) took up ferumoxide, and thus showed isointensity, mixed intensity, or hypointensity, including five of 17 (29%) well-differentiated tumors and one of 28 (4%) moderately differentiated tumors. Five of the six tumors (83%) showed hyper- or hypovascularity on CTHA or hypovascularity on CTAP. The frequency of tumors with ferumoxide uptake showed weak correlation with tumor grades (coefficient = 0.26, P < 0.01) and vascularity on CTHA (-0.35, P < 0.05) and CTAP (0.39, P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Although a small number of well-differentiated HCC take up ferumoxide and show iso-, mixed, or hypointensity, most such tumors show increased hepatic arterial or decreased portal venous perfusion. The present results suggest the limitation of reticuloendothelial contrast imaging, particularly in the diagnosis of small, well-differentiated HCC.
Kato
Hiroki
H
Department of Radiology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
Kanematsu
Masayuki
M
Kondo
Hiroshi
H
Goshima
Satoshi
S
Matsuo
Masayuki
M
Hoshi
Hiroaki
H
Moriyama
Noriyuki
N
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D003911:Dextrans; D005260:Female; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis; D010087:Oxides; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D003911:Dextrans; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D010087:Oxides; D007501:Iron; C065507:ferumoxides; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide