title: Role of SPECT/CT in diagnosis of hepatic hemangiomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of SPECT/CT in the diagnosis of hepatic hemangiomas whose anatomical positions are not ideal, situated adjacent to the heart, the inferior cava, hepatic vessels or abdominal aorta, etc.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hepatic perfusion, blood pool, and fusion imaging were carried out using SPECT/CT in 54 patients, who were suspected for hepatic hemangiomas. When the anatomical positions were not ideal, the diagnosis was difficult by SPECT only. So the information of computed tomography (CT) was applied to help in diagnosing. The results were recorded as hemangiomas or not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 54 patients, 31 patients were diagnosed as suffering from hepatic hemangiomas. The anatomical positions of eight patients' hepatic hemangiomas (25.81%) were not ideal. Among these lesions of the eight patients, three patients' hepatic lesions were located near to the abdominal aorta, one to the heart, and four to the inferior cava. In addition, six abnormal radioactivity accumulation regions, adjacent to the heart and inferior cava, with the help of CT, were confirmed to be the imaging of inferior cava other than hepatic hemangiomas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When the anatomical positions of hepatic hemangiomas are not good enough for diagnosis, the fusion imaging of SPECT/CT is a simple and efficient method for differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Zhi-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Chong-Ye
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013667:Technetium; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D013667:Technetium