Neoangiogenesis and sinusoidal capillarization in hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation between dynamic CT and density of tumor microvessels.
OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively evaluate the correlation between the degree of contrast enhancement on dynamic computed tomographic (CT) scans and the degree of neoangiogenesis and sinusoidal capillarization in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).


METHODS
The institutional review board did not require approval or informed patient's consent for the review of medical records or images. Dynamic CT scans of 97 nodular HCCs in 97 patients (79 men, 18 women; age range, 29-73 years; mean age, 54 years) were evaluated in terms of the attenuation change in the arterial, portal venous, and delayed phases, and the results were correlated with the number of unpaired arteries and the degree of sinusoidal capillarization at histopathologic examination. The mean attenuation value of the nodular HCCs on triple-phase helical CT scans was correlated with the number of unpaired arteries and the degree of sinusoidal capillarization. Statistical analysis was performed with the Spearman rank correlation test.


RESULTS
The number of unpaired arteries in the nodular HCCs was found to correlate with the degree of contrast enhancement in the arterial phase (r = 0.225, P = .027), but did not correlate with the degree of contrast enhancement in the portal and delayed phases. The degree of sinusoidal capillarization did not correlate linearly with the mean attenuation of the nodular HCCs in any phase of contrast enhancement.


CONCLUSIONS
The degree of contrast enhancement of the nodular HCCs in the arterial phase tended to correlate with the number of unpaired arteries, but no correlation was evident between the degree of contrast enhancement and sinusoidal capillarization in any phase of CT imaging.
Kim
Chan Kyo
CK
Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Kangnam-ku, Seoul, Korea 135-710.
Lim
Jae Hoon
JH
Park
Cheol Keun
CK
Choi
Dongil
D
Lim
Hyo Keun
HK
Lee
Won Jae
WJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed