Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to assess real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound in patients with hepatic angiomyolipomas with respect to contrast-enhancing kinetics and enhancement patterns.
Materials and methods
Nonlinear, low mechanical index (mechanical index less than 0.2), real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography was performed in 18 patients with 19 tumors after 2.4 mL bolus injection of contrast agent SonoVue. All the 19 tumors were surgically resected and immunohistochemically proven sporadic hepatic angiomyolipomas.
Results
Inhomogeneous hyperenhancing pattern was detected 16 tumors (84.2%) and homogeneous hyperenhancing pattern in 1 tumor (0.5%) in arterial phase and portal phase, 16 lesions remained hyperenhancement but one lesion became isoenhancement in late phase. Two lesions (10.5%) were detected inhomogeneously hypoenhancement compared to liver parenchyma during arterial, portal, and late phases, with only punctiform internal enhancement. The margin of all the lesions were smooth and well defined on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, whereas no peripheral nodular arterial enhancement, centripetal filling, or spoke-wheel like enhancement pattern were depicted. Early strong enhancement in arterial phase, rapid washout of contrast agent, and appear hypoechoic to surrounding liver tissue during portal or late phase was not at all observed.
Conclusion
Real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography can demonstrate typical imaging characteristics of hepatic angiomyolipomas in most cases, that is, inhomogeneous hyperenhancing pattern in arterial phase, prolonged hyperenhancement during portal and late phase with smooth and well-defined margin. This real-time dynamic imaging technique may therefore improve noninvasive characterization and differentiation of this rare, benign, hepatic mesenchymal neoplasm.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Petrolla Amber A, Xin W (2008) Hepatic angiomyolipoma. Arch Pathol Lab Med 132:1679–1682
Zhou YM, Li B, Xu F, et al. (2008) Clinical features of hepatic angiomyolipoma. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 7(3):284–287
Yoshimura H, Murakami T, Kim T, et al. (2002) Angiomyolipoma of the liver with least amount of fat component: imaging features of CT, MR, and angiography. Abdom Imaging 27:184–187
Högemann D, Flemming P, Kreipe H, Galanski M (2001) Correlation of MRI and CT findings with histopathology in hepatic angiomyolipoma. Eur Radiol 11(8):1389–1395
Li R, Guo Y, Hua X, et al. (2007) Characterization of focal liver lesions: comparison of pulse-inversion harmonic contrast-enhanced sonography with contrast-enhanced CT. J Clinical Ultrasound 35(3):109–117
Celli N, Gaiani S, Piscaglia F, et al. (2007) Characterization of focal liver lesions by real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 19:3–14
Takayama Y, Moriura S, Nagata J, et al. (2002) Hepatic angiomyolipoma: radiologic and histopathologic correlation. Abdom Imaging 27:180–183
Yan F, Zeng M, Zhou K, et al. (2002) Hepatic angiomyolipoma: various appearances on two-phase contrast scanning of spiral CT. Eur J Radiol 41:12–18
Prasad SR, Wang H, Rosas H, et al. (2005) Fat-containing lesions of the liver: radiologic-pathologic correlation. Radiographics 25:321–331
Xiao W, Zhou M, Lou H, Wang Z, Zhang M (2009) Hemodynamic characterization of hepatic angiomyolipoma with least amount of fat evaluated by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography. Abdom Imaging [Epub ahead of print]
Yoshikawa J, Matsui O, Takashima T, et al. (1988) Fatty metamorphosis in hepatocellular carcinoma: radiologic features in 10 cases. AJR 151:717–720
Goodman ZD, Ishak KG (1984) Angiomyolipoma of the liver. Am J Surg Pathol 8:745–750
Tsui WM, Colombari R, Portmann BC, et al. (1999) Hepatic angiomyolipoma: a clinicopathologic study of 30 cases and delineation of unusual morphologic variants. Am J Surg Pathol 23:34–48
Jiang TA, Zhao QY, Chen MY, Wang LJ, Ao JY (2005) Diagnostic analysis of hepatic angiomyolipoma. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 4:152–155
Ascenti G, Gaeta M, Zimbaro G, et al. (2000) US power Doppler of hepatic angiomyolipoma with low fat content. Eur Radiol 10:935–937
Nicolau C, Vilana R, Catalá V, et al. (2006) Importance of evaluating all vascular phases on contrast-enhanced sonography in the differentiation of benign from malignant focal liver lesions. Am J Roentgenol 186:158–167
Dietrich CF, Schuessler G, Trojan J, Fellbaum C, Ignee A (2005) Differentiation of focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatocellular adenoma by contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Br J Radiol 78:704–707
Ricci P, Laghi A, Cantisani V, et al. (2005) Contrast-enhanced sonography with SonoVue: enhancement patterns of benign focal liver lesions and correlation with dynamic gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. Am J Roentgenol 184:821–827
Leen E, Ceccotti P, Kalogeropoulou C, et al. (2006) Prospective multicenter trial evaluating a novel method of characterizing focal liver lesions using contrast-enhanced sonography. Am J Roentgenol 186:1551–1559
Martin K, Fabian K, Marco E, et al. (2004) Low mechanical index contrast enhanced ultrasound better reflects high arterial perfusion oh liver metastases than arterial phase computed tomography. Invest Radiol 39:222–261
Burns P, Wilson S (2007) Focal liver masses: enhancement patterns on contrast enhanced images-concordance of US scans with CT scans and MR images. Radiology 242:162–174
Catalá V, Nicolau C, Vilana R, et al. (2007) Characterization of focal liver lesions: comparative study of contrast-enhanced ultrasound versus spiral computed tomography. Eur Radiol 17:1066–1073
Von Herbay A, Vogt C, Willers R, Häussinger D (2004) Real-time imaging with the sonographic contrast agent SonoVue: differentiation between benign and malignant hepatic lesions. J Ultrasound Med 23:1557–1568
Wilson SR, Burns PN (2006) An algorithm for the diagnosis of focal liver masses using microbubble contrast enhanced pulse inversion sonography. Am J Roentgenol 186:1401–1412
Nanomura A, Mizukami Y, Kadoya M (1994) Angiomyolipoma of the liver: a collective review. J Gastroenterol 29:95–105
Xu AM, Zhang SH, Zheng JM, Zheng WQ, Wu MC (2006) Pathological and molecular analysis of sporadic hepatic angiomyolipoma. Hum Pathol 37(6):735–741
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, R., Zhang, X., Hua, X. et al. Real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of resected and immunohistochemically proven hepatic angiomyolipomas. Abdom Imaging 35, 676–682 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-009-9592-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-009-9592-x