Detection of intratumoral vascularity in small hepatocellular carcinoma by coded phase inversion harmonics.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced coded phase inversion harmonic imaging (PIHI) in the depiction of intratumoral vascularity in small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).


METHODS
Eighty-five patients with 106 HCCs < or =3 cm in diameter were evaluated with coded harmonic angio (CHA), a coded PIHI, with use of an intravenous contrast medium, Levovist. Intratumoral vessels were detected in the early arterial phase, and tumor parenchymal stain was demonstrated in the late vascular phase. The detectability of intratumoral vascularity on contrast-enhanced CHA was compared with that on dynamic computed tomography (CT) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA).


RESULTS
With a combination of both vessel images and parenchymal flow images demonstrated by contrast-enhanced CHA, 98 of 106 small HCCs were evaluated as being hypervascular or isovascular. Using the results on dynamic CT as a gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 95.1, 100 and 95.3%, respectively. The detection rate of intratumoral vascularity by contrast-enhanced CHA was 92.5% (98/ 106), compared with 97.2% (103/106) on dynamic CT (p = 0.14) and 88.9% (40/45) on DSA (p = 0.53).


CONCLUSIONS
Contrast-enhanced coded PIHI is a sensitive tool for depicting intratumoral vascularity of small HCC.
Wen
Yan Ling
YL
Department of Ultrasound, Memorial Hospital, Sun Yut-Sen University of Medical Science, Guangzhou, China.
Zhou
Pei
P
Kudo
Masatoshi
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction / Q000379:methods; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
D003287:Contrast Media