Diagnostic accuracy of multi-/single-detector row CT and contrast-enhanced MRI in the detection of hepatocellular carcinomas meeting the milan criteria before liver transplantation.
Liver transplantation has been considered to be the only causal treatment for liver cirrhosis patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to its theoretical advantage of eliminating both the tumor and liver disease. However, because of the shortage of donor organs, it is strongly recommended that liver transplantations should be performed on cirrhotic patients with HCCs only when the patients meet the predetermined criteria in terms of number and extent of HCCs. Imaging is thus decisive in the patient inclusion or exclusion from transplantation lists. The imaging techniques used are CT, MRI and ultrasonography. The latter has been proven to be ineffective for HCC surveillance in transplant recipients because of its heavy operator dependence and unreliable detection of small and intermediately sized HCCs. The purpose of this article, then, is to systematically review the diagnostic performances of single-/multidetector row CT, dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MRI, superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-enhanced MRI and double-contrast MRI using both gadolinium and SPIO for the detection of HCCs with special emphasis on liver transplantation.
Department of Radiology and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Se Hyung
SH
Kim
Byung Ihn
BI
Choi
Jae Young
JY
Lee
Soo Jin
SJ
Kim
Young Ho
YH
So
Hyo Won
HW
Eun
Jeong Min
JM
Lee
Joon Koo
JK
Han
D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D005682:Gadolinium; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014463:Ultrasonography
D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide; D005682:Gadolinium