European Radiology

, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp 433–438 | Cite as

Focal malignant liver lesions: diagnosis by dynamic incremental CT, early phase

  • R. M. Marques
  • P. Mendonça
  • A. Cordeiro
  • T. Monteiro
  • J. Vilela
  • F. Almeida
Abdominal and Gastrointestinal Radiology Original Article

Abstract

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the accuracy of dynamic incremental bolus-enhanced conventional CT (DICT) with intravenous contrast administration, early phase, in the diagnosis of malignancy of focal liver lesions. A total of 122 lesions were selected in 74 patients considering the following criteria: lesion diameter 10 mm or more, number of lesions less than six per study, except in multiple angiomatosis and the existence of a valid criteria of definitive diagnosis. Lesions were categorized into seven levels of diagnostic confidence of malignancy compared with the definitive diagnosis for acquisition of a receiver-operator-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the technique. Forty-six and 70 lesions were correctly diagnosed as malignant and benign, respectively; there were 2 false-positive and 4 false-negative diagnoses of malignancy and the sensitivity and specificity obtained were 92 and 97 %. The DICT early phase was confirmed as a highly accurate method in the characterization and diagnosis of malignancy of focal liver lesions, requiring an optimal technical performance and judicious analysis of existing semiological data.

Key words

Focal liver lesions Conventional CT Liver CT protocol 

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1996

Authors and Affiliations

  • R. M. Marques
    • 1
  • P. Mendonça
    • 1
  • A. Cordeiro
    • 1
  • T. Monteiro
    • 1
  • J. Vilela
    • 1
  • F. Almeida
    • 1
  1. 1.Serviço de RadiologiaHospital de S. JoséLisbonPortugal

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