1. Consultant Radiologist Prince Sultan Military Medical City
Shiny liver
Dr. Ahmed Refaey
FRCR
Consultant Radiologist
Prince Sultan Military Medical City

2. Format of the lecture Detection of liver masses by CT
Hypervascular tumors of the liver
Case of the day

3. Detection of liver masses by CT
* Triphasic study
* arterial phase
* portal venous phase
* equilibrium phase ( delayed phase )

4. When we give IV contrast, it is important to understand that there is a dual blood supply to the liver.
Normal parenchyma is supplied for 80% by PV & only for 20% by hepatic artery, so it will enhance in the portal venous phase.
All liver tumors however get 100% of their blood supply from hepatic artery , so when they enhance it will be in arterial phase

5. In the arterial phase hypervascular tumors will enhance via the hepatic artery , when normal liver parenchyma does not yet enhances , because contrast is not yet in the portal venous system.
These hypervascular tumors will be visible as hyperdense lesions in a relatively hypodense liver

7. In the portal venous phase hypovascular tumors are detected when the normal liver parenchyma enhances maximally.
These hypovascular tumors will be visible as hypodense lesions in a relatively hyperdense liver.

9. In the equilibrium phase at about 10 minutes after contrast injection , tumors become visible, that either :
- retain their contrast ( become relatively hyperdense to the normal liver )
- wash out their contrast faster than normal liver parenchyma ( become relatively hypodense to the normal liver ).

10. Hemangioma hcc

11. Above: arterial phase showing hypervascular FNH
Middle: portal venous phase showing hypovascular metastases
Down: equilibrium phase showing relatively dense cholangiocarcinoma

12. Arterial phase imaging

13. Optimal timing
Hypervascular tumors will enhance optimally at 35 seconds after contrast injection (late arterial phase)

14. A patient who underwent two phases of arterial imaging at 18 and 35 seconds .
In the early arterial phase we nicely see the arteries , but we only see some irregular enhancement within the liver .
In the late arterial phase, we can clearly identify multiple tumor masses.

15. Portal venous phase

16. Portal venous phase imaging work on the opposite idea
Portal venous phase imaging work on the opposite idea . We image the liver when it is loaded with contrast through the portal vein to detect hypovascular tumors.
The best moment to start scanning is at about 75 sec.

17. Hypovascular metastases seen as hypodense lesions in late portal venous phase

18. Liver metastases cancer colon

19. Equilibrium phase

20. Starts when contrast is moving away from the liver and the liver starts to decrease in density .
This phase begins at about 3-4 minutes after contrast injection and imaging is best done at 10 minutes after contrast injection.

21. This phase can be valuable if you are looking for:
1- fast tumor washout in hypervascular tumors
2- retention of contrast in blood pool like in hemangioma
3- retention of contrast in fibrous tissue in capsule ( HCC )or scar tissue ( cholangiocarcinoma or FNH )

22. 1- fast tumor washout in hypervascular tumors like HCC

23. 2- retention of contrast in the blood pool as in hemangioma

24. 3- retention of contrast in fibrous tissue in capsule ( HCC ) or scar tissue (cholangiocarcinoma , FNH)

25. Hypervascular hepatic tumors
1ry
Benign
Hemangioma
Focal nodular hyperplasia
adenoma
Malignant
HCC
Fibrolamellar HCC
2ry
Hypervascular metastasis
Primary hypervasculr tumours
Thyroid carcinoma
Choriocarcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma
Iselet cell tumors of pancreas
Malignant pheochromocytoma
Malignant melanoma
Carcinoid tumor
15% of cancer breast

26. Case of the day

27. History :
A 40 year old male came with abdominal pain

28. Technique
Triphasic contrast enhanced CT was performed for the chest, abdomen and pelvis.

29. Arterial phase PV
phase

30. Hypervascular hepatic tumors
2ry
Hypervascular metastasis
1ry
Benign
Hemangioma
Focal nodular hyperplasia
adenoma
Malignant
HCC
Primary hypervasculr tumours
Thyroid carcinoma
Choriocarcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma
Iselet cell tumors of pancreas
Malignant pheochromocytoma
Malignant melanoma
Carcinoid tumor
15% of cancer breast

31. Primary hypervasculr tumours
Thyroid carcinoma
Choriocarcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma
Iselet cell tumors of pancreas
Malignant pheochromocytoma
Malignant melanoma
Carcinoid tumor
15% of cancer breast

32. Primary hypervasculr tumours
Thyroid carcinoma
Choriocarcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma
Iselet cell tumors of pancreas
Malignant pheochromocytoma
Malignant melanoma
Carcinoid tumor
15% of cancer breast

33. Primary hypervasculr tumours
Thyroid carcinoma
Choriocarcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma
Iselet cell tumors of pancreas
Malignant pheochromocytoma
Malignant melanoma
Carcinoid tumor
15% of cancer breast

34. Primary hypervasculr tumours
Thyroid carcinoma
Choriocarcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma
Iselet cell tumors of pancreas
Malignant pheochromocytoma
Malignant melanoma
Carcinoid tumor
15% of cancer breast

35. Location of carcinoid tumor:
Appendix …………………………. 45%
Small bowel ……………………… 35%
- ilium ( 91%) .. Jejenum (7%).. Duodenum ( 2%)
Rectum …………………………….. 10%
Colon ……………………………….. 5%
Stomach ………………………….. < 3%

37. Diagnosis
Carcinoid tumor of the stomach with hypervascular metastasis to the liver

38. Carcinoid tumor

39. Carcinoid tumor
Low-grade malignancy, resemble adenocarcinoma, but do not have their aggressive behaviour
Clinical presentation:
Asyptomatic ( 66%)
Abdominal pain/intestinal obstruction ( 19%)
Nausea, weight loss (16%)
Palpable mass ( 14%)
Carcinoid syndrome ( 7%)

40. Carcinoid syndrome:
Cause: excess serotonin level when the metabolic pathway to 5-HIAA is bypassed
(a) with extensive liver metastasis
(b) with 1ry pulmonary/ovarian carcinoids
Recurrent diarrhea (70%)
Right sided endocardial fibroelastosis (35%), resulting in tricuspid regurgitation and right heart failure
Desquamative skin lesions / pellagra /nausea /vomiting /fever/cutaneous flushing ….. (5%)
Prognosis: carcinoid syndrome has a higher morbidity and mortality than does the tumor itself

41. Thank you