[Correlation between blood flow velocity of feeding arteries and microvessel density of hepatocellular carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the correlation between the mean of time blood flow velocity (TVmean) of feeding artery around hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the microvessel density (MVD) in relation to tumor cell differentiation, and to evaluate the usefulness of TVmean as a noninvasive preoperative marker of biologic characteristic of HCC.


METHODS
To measure TVmean of feeding arteries around the HCC in 45 patients before operation and TVmean of minute arteries in hepatic tissue in 45 normal subjects by ultrasonographic examination. Tumor cell differentiation grade was determined by routine histopathological staining. Tumor MVD was measured by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies against F VIII RAg of excised HCC. Correlationship between TVmean of feeding arteries and MVD of HCC was studied.


RESULTS
A linear correlation between TVmean of feeding arteries around the tumors of HCC and MVD of HCC tissue (r = 0.794, y = 18.2764 + 1.5544x) was obtained. With TVmean > or = 21.3 cm/s, the positive and negative predictive values of poorly differentiated HCC were 97.4% and 87.5%, respectively. With TVmean < 21.3 cm/s, those of well differentiated HCC were 88.5% and 97.3%, respectively. The degree of reliability of calculating HCC cell differentiation according to TVmean was 89.5%.


CONCLUSIONS
Tumor growth and cellular differentiation, the two major factors affecting prognosis of HCC, may be evaluated by TVmean of feeding arteries around the tumor. It offers a useful preoperative information for predicting prognosis of HCC patients.
Dong
Lei
L
Department of Ultrasonography, Jinan Military General Hospital, Jinan 250031, China. donglei0301@163.com
Zhang
Chuan-sen
CS
Guan
Yi-fan
YF
Zhang
Yan
Y
Zhao
Xiao-feng
XF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001160:Arterioles / Q000473:pathology; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology*