title: Hepatic angiomyolipomas: ultrasonic characteristics of 25 patients from a single center.
abstract: Twenty-five pathologically proven hepatic angiomyolipomas (AMLs) were included in the study. Ultrasonic features of hepatic AMLs were reviewed. Three types of echogenicity were observed on ultrasound examination: (i) strong hyper-echogenicity, (ii) moderate hyper-echogenicity and (iii) hypo-echogenicity. Vascular signals within tumors could be detected in 22 (88.00%) tumors as multiple punctiform, filiform or dendriform signals by color Doppler flow imaging. Based on the enhancement patterns in the arterial, portal and late phases, the features of hepatic AMLs on contrast-enhanced ultrasound were divided into four subtypes: (i) "fast in slow out" (68.00%, n = 17); (ii) "fast in same out" (16%, n = 4); (iii) "fast in fast out" (12.00%, n = 3); and (iv) "fast in uneven out" (4.00%, n = 1). Contrast-enhanced ultrasound diagnosed 22 (88.00%) tumors as benign tumors and 13 (52.00%) as hepatic AMLs. Four cases were misdiagnosed as hepatic hemangioma, five cases as focal nodular hyperplasia (total = 36.00%). The rate of correct diagnosis of hepatic AMLs increased significantly from 24.00% for ultrasound alone to 52.00% for contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Therefore, information obtained from ultrasound, color Doppler flow imaging and contrast-enhanced ultrasound should be combined to improve diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Baohua
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhengdu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Qiyu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Fen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Yanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Electronic address: tiananjiang@126.com.
authors.forename: Tian'an
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018207:Angiomyolipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D045423:Microbubbles; D008875:Middle Aged; D010743:Phospholipids; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride
keywords: Color Doppler flow imaging; Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Hepatic angiomyolipoma; Pathology; Ultrasound