Enhancement characteristics of cholangiocarcinomas on mutiphasic helical CT: emphasis on morphologic subtypes.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to characterize the differences in CT enhancement pattern among the morphologic subtypes of cholangiocarcinomas.


METHODS
Unenhanced, hepatic arterial (HAP), and portal venous phase (PVP) CT images of 84 patients with pathologically proven cholangiocarcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. Tumors were of the following types: 27 mass-forming, 39 periductal-infiltrating, and 18 intraductal. The CT attenuation values of tumors were measured at each phase. The tumor enhancement ratio (ER) on HAP and PVP was calculated.


RESULTS
Each cholangiocarcinoma subtype produced characteristic enhancement relative to liver on HAP and PVP images: mass-forming tumors demonstrated hyperenhancing periphery and hyopenhancing centers; periductal-infiltrating tumors, hyperenhancing; and intraductal tumors, hypoenhancing. The ER of the tumor types was significantly different (P<.001, HAP, PVP): periductal-infiltrating tumors showed the highest ER (2.5; 3.8); the centers of mass-forming tumors, lowest (1.5; 2.2); the peripheries of mass-forming tumors, high (2.1; 3.0); intraductal tumors, low (1.9; 2.6).


CONCLUSIONS
Cholangiocarcinoma subtypes tended to exhibit distinct enhancement characteristics. Knowledge of these enhancement patterns may aid diagnosis and surgical planning.
Kim
Na Ra
NR
Department of Radiology, and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Lee
Jeong Min
JM
Kim
Se Hyung
SH
An
Su Kyung
SK
Han
Chang Jin
CJ
Choi
Seung Hong
SH
Han
Joon Koo
JK
Lee
Hye Seung
HS
Jang
Ja Jun
JJ
Choi
Byung Ihn
BI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed