J Ye1, X Xie2, Y Lin3, B Liu1, W Wang1, X Huang1, G Huang4. 1. 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. 2. 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: xiexyan@mail.sysu.edu.cn. 3. Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhong Shan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China. 4. 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.
Abstract
AIM: To evaluate the relationship between the imaging features of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and clinicopathological findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From August 2004 to August 2016, 40 patients (29 males, 11 females; mean age 52.8±11.2 years) with histopathologically proven CHC were investigated. The CEUS imaging features and clinicopathological findings of CHC were analysed and compared retrospectively. RESULTS: On CEUS, peripheral irregular rim-like enhancement, diffuse heterogeneous enhancement, and diffuse homogeneous enhancement was illustrated in 13 (32.5%), 21 (52.5%), and six (15%) lesions, respectively. Histopathological findings showed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) predominance and cholangiocarcinoma (CC) predominance throughout the tumour were illustrated in 21 (52.5%) and 19 (47.5%) cases, respectively. HCC-predominant CHCs displayed diffuse heterogeneous enhancement more frequently than peripheral irregular rim-like enhancement (p=0.005), whereas CC-predominant CHCs displayed peripheral irregular rim-like enhancement more frequently than diffuse heterogeneous enhancement and homogeneous enhancement (p=0.005 and p=0.01, respectively). CHCs >5 cm displayed diffuse heterogeneous enhancement more frequently than diffuse homogeneous enhancement, whereas CHCs ≤5 cm displayed diffuse homogeneous enhancement more frequently than diffuse heterogeneous enhancement (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: The enhancement pattern of CHC on CEUS depended on the relative proportions of the HCC and CC components and showed size-dependent characteristics.
AIM: To evaluate the relationship between the imaging features of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and clinicopathological findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From August 2004 to August 2016, 40 patients (29 males, 11 females; mean age 52.8±11.2 years) with histopathologically proven CHC were investigated. The CEUS imaging features and clinicopathological findings of CHC were analysed and compared retrospectively. RESULTS: On CEUS, peripheral irregular rim-like enhancement, diffuse heterogeneous enhancement, and diffuse homogeneous enhancement was illustrated in 13 (32.5%), 21 (52.5%), and six (15%) lesions, respectively. Histopathological findings showed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) predominance and cholangiocarcinoma (CC) predominance throughout the tumour were illustrated in 21 (52.5%) and 19 (47.5%) cases, respectively. HCC-predominant CHCs displayed diffuse heterogeneous enhancement more frequently than peripheral irregular rim-like enhancement (p=0.005), whereas CC-predominant CHCs displayed peripheral irregular rim-like enhancement more frequently than diffuse heterogeneous enhancement and homogeneous enhancement (p=0.005 and p=0.01, respectively). CHCs >5 cm displayed diffuse heterogeneous enhancement more frequently than diffuse homogeneous enhancement, whereas CHCs ≤5 cm displayed diffuse homogeneous enhancement more frequently than diffuse heterogeneous enhancement (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: The enhancement pattern of CHC on CEUS depended on the relative proportions of the HCC and CC components and showed size-dependent characteristics.