Hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic liver disease: functional computed tomography with perfusion imaging in the assessment of tumor vascularization.
OBJECTIVE
Our goal was to prospectively determine the value of perfusion computed tomography (CT) in the quantitative assessment of tumor-related angiogenesis in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).


METHODS
Forty-seven patients met all the following inclusion criteria: 1) Child-Pugh class A or B liver cirrhosis; 2) presence of a single lesion suspected as HCC at screening ultrasound examination; and 3) lesion diameter between 1 and 3 cm. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound, pre- and post-contrast triple-phase CT, and perfusion computed tomographic study using multidetector 16-slice CT. Six parameters related to the blood microcirculation and tissue perfusion were measured for the focal liver lesion and cirrhotic parenchyma: perfusion (P), tissue blood volume (BV), hepatic perfusion index (HPI), arterial perfusion (AP), portal perfusion (PP), and time to peak (TTP). Perfusion parameters were described with quartile values of their distribution; univariate paired and unpaired Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used for statistical analysis.


RESULTS
HCC was diagnosed in 21 of the 47 patients; in the remaining 26, HCC was not found at contrast-enhanced ultrasound and multidetector 16-slice computed tomographic study. The values of perfusion parameters measured within tumor tissue were: P (ml/s/100 g): median = 47.0 (first quartile = 36.0, third quartile = 61.4); BV (ml/100 mg): median = 24.0 (first quartile = 18.7, third quartile = 29.3); HPI (%): median = 78.4 (first quartile = 62.9, third quartile = 100); AP (ml/min): median = 45.9 (first quartile = 39.0, third quartile = 60.1); PP (ml/min): median = 9.0 (first quartile = 0.0, third quartile = 24.5); and TTP (seconds): median = 18.7 (first quartile = 16.3, third quartile = 26.5). The corresponding values calculated in cirrhotic surrounding parenchyma were P (ml/s/100 g): median = 11.5 (first quartile = 9.4, third quartile = 13.9); BV (ml/100 mg): median = 10.7 (first quartile = 7.1, third quartile = 14.2); HPI (%): median = 10.6 (first quartile = 8.7, third quartile = 11.9); AP (ml/min): median = 13.2 (first quartile = 10.1, third quartile = 15.5); PP (ml/min) median = 55.2 (first quartile = 40.1, third quartile = 79.5); and TTP (seconds): median = 41.7 (first quartile = 38.9, third quartile = 44.6). P, BV, HPI, and AP values were higher (P < .001), whereas PP and TTP were lower (P < .001) in HCC relative to the surrounding liver. Values of perfusion parameters in the cirrhotic liver of patients with and without HCC were not significantly different (P > .001).


CONCLUSIONS
In cirrhotic patients with HCC, perfusion computed tomographic technique can provide quantitative information about tumor-related angiogenesis.
School of Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy. davide.atena@tiscalinet.it
Davide
D
Ippolito
Sandro
S
Sironi
Massimo
M
Pozzi
Laura
L
Antolini
Laura
L
Ratti
Chiara
C
Alberzoni
Eugenio Biagio
EB
Leone
Franca
F
Meloni
Maria Grazia
MG
Valsecchi
Ferruccio
F
Fazio
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010743:Phospholipids; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride