title: Hepatic epithelioid angiomyolipoma: clinical features and imaging findings of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical features and imaging findings of epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT).
  
  
  METHODS
  During January 2006 to November 2015, six patients with histopathologically proven hepatic EAML were evaluated using both CECT and ultrasonography. Six patients underwent CEUS and four patients had CECT images. Patients' demographics, clinical presentations, laboratory test results, and imaging appearances were collected and analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six patients were female, and the mean age was 43.5 years. All hepatic EAMLs were solitary. None of patients had specific symptoms, and laboratory tests were normal in all patients. The maximal diameter of the lesions ranged from 3.1 to 6.5 cm (mean 4.4 cm). Baseline ultrasound revealed that 50% of hepatic EAMLs were hypo-echoic and 50% were mixed echoic. CEUS showed that 100% of the hepatic EAMLs displayed homogeneous hyperenhancement in the arterial phase and 67% (4/6) showed hypo-enhancement in the late phase. On CECT, 100% (4/4) of the neoplasms were significantly hyperenhanced in the arterial phase and washout in the portal phase. There was no recurrence or metastasis after a mean follow-up period of 11.8 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hepatic EAML shows similar enhancement patterns to that of hepatocellular carcinoma. It should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis in female patients without viral hepatitis infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Ultrasonics, Division of Interventional Ultrasound, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhong Shan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Ultrasonics, Division of Interventional Ultrasound, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhong Shan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhong Shan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Ultrasonics, Division of Interventional Ultrasound, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhong Shan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Ultrasonics, Division of Interventional Ultrasound, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhong Shan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China. Electronic address: venice0016@163.com.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018207:Angiomyolipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007472:Iohexol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; C038192:iopromide