[Spontaneous regression of liver metastases in neuroendocrine tumors of the abdomen].

In six patients with hepatically metastasised gastrointestinal tumours of neuro-endocrinal origin, including one each islet cell carcinoma and gastrinoma of the pancreas, one cloacogenic carcinoma (a rare type of anal cancer), and three carcinoid tumours of the small bowel, spontaneous liquefaction inside echogenic liver metastases was demonstrated by ultrasound. The hepatic lesions were classified as being of "bull's-eye-" shape without "badge" pattern. Chemotherapy had no effect on their ultrasonographic imaging. With regard to our observations, liquefying processes were far more common in these well-differentiated tumour metastases than in poorly differentiated fast-proliferating malignancies (about 1:40). Assessment of liquefaction, however, has obviously no influence on the prognosis of progress speed. Ultrasonographic differential diagnosis includes focal inflammatory disease of the liver, if there is no evidence of a primary tumour.