CT and MRI findings of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma
ZHAO Gui-jiu1, WANG Qing-bing1, ZENG Meng-su2, RAO Sheng-xiang2
1. Department of Radiology, the Third People’s Hospital of Luoyang, Luoyang Henan 471002, China;2. Department of Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Abstract:Objective: To investigate the CT and MRI characteristics of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma(EHE). Methods: CT and MRI findings were analyzed together with clinical data retrospectively in eight patients with hepatic EHE confirmed by pathology. Two patients underwent CT scan, and six patients underwent both CT and MR scan. The characteristics of tumors were retrospectively reviewed by two abdominal radiologists. Results: Hepatic EHEs lesions were displayed as multiple and peripheral feature in location in all patients(8), their diameters ranging from 3.0 mm to 150 mm. On CT scan, all of the hepatic EHEs were shown hypo-dense on CT scans, hypointense on T1WI and hyperintense on T2WI. During the arterial phase on CT/MR images, lesions size larger than 3 cm were shown a centripetal enhancement pattern, while lesions size smaller than 3 cm were shown depicted ring enhancement and continuous annular enhancement during the portal venous phase and the delayed phase. The signs of hepatic capsular traction(n=6) and lollipop, which the intrahepatic vein and its branches was terminated at the edge of the tumor(n=6), were shown on EHEs’ CT and MR images. Conclusion: Hepatic EHE has some special imaging characteristics findings on CT and MR image, such as the “lollipop” sign, “capsular retraction” sign and dynamic enhancement patterns, especially for those close to the hepatic subcapsular, and these findings could be helpful at differential diagnosis for hepatic EHE.