title: Outcome of hypovascular hepatic nodules with positive uptake of gadoxetic acid in patients with cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the longitudinal risk to patients with cirrhosis of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developing from hypovascular hepatic nodules that show positive uptake of gadoxetic acid (hyperintensity) on hepatocyte phase images.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 69 patients, we evaluated findings from serial follow-up examinations of 633 hepatic nodules that appeared hypovascular and hyperintense on initial gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (EOB-MRI) until the nodules demonstrated hypervascularity and were diagnosed as hypervascular HCC. Cox analyses were performed to identify risk factors for the development of hypervascular HCCs from the nodules.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow-up was 663 days (range, 110 to 1215 days). Hypervascular HCCs developed in six of the 633 nodules (0.9 %) in five of the 69 patients. The only independent risk factor, the nodule's initial maximum diameter of 10 mm or larger, demonstrated a hazard ratio of 1.25. The one-year risk of hypervascular HCC developing from a nodule was 0.44 %. The risk was significantly higher for nodules of larger diameter (1.31 %) than those smaller than 10 mm (0.10 %, p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypervascular HCC rarely develops from hypovascular, hyperintense hepatic nodules. We observed low risk even for nodules of 10 mm and larger diameter at initial examination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Hypervascularization was rare on follow-up examination of hypovascular, hyperintense nodules • The risk of hypervascularization in a nodule increased with large size • Hypovascular, hyperintense nodules require neither treatment nor more intense follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo-City, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan. sanokt@saitama-med.ac.jp.|Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka-City, Saitama, 350-1298, Japan. sanokt@saitama-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo-City, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.|Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka-City, Saitama, 350-1298, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo-City, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.
authors.forename: Utaroh
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Motosugi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo-City, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo-City, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.|Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka-City, Saitama, 350-1298, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morisaka
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujii
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000378:metabolism; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; C073590:gadolinium ethoxybenzyl DTPA; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA
keywords: Gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hyperintensity; Hypervascularization; Hypovascular hepatic nodules