Role of SPECT/CT in diagnosis of hepatic hemangiomas.
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.
Zheng
Jian-Guo
JG
Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
Yao
Zhi-Ming
ZM
Shu
Chong-Ye
CY
Zhang
Ying
Y
Zhang
Xia
X
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*
D013667:Technetium