Diagnostic imaging and interventional procedures in a growing problem: Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis

Table 2 Morphological characteristics of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis lesions

Modality	Hepatic AE lesions
US	Mass with irregular margins, scattered foci of calcification, central necrosis, and vascular and biliary involvement
CT
Unenhanced	Mass with irregular margins, hyperattenuating foci of calcification, and hypoattenuating regions of necrosis and parasitic tissue
Contrast- enhanced	Mass with no substantial enhancement and peripheral fibroinflammatory components with slight but long-lasting enhancement
CT perfusion	Lower BF, BV, ALP and PVP values in AE lesions compared with normal liver parenchyma
MRI
T1-weighted	Heterogeneous mass with irregular margins and a necrotic center that exhibits low to intermediate signal intensity
T2-weighted	Heterogeneous mass with irregular margins, a necrotic center that exhibits high signal intensity, and low-signal-intensity fibrotic and collagenous components
Contrast-enhanced	Mass with no substantial enhancement and peripheral fibroinflammatory components with slight but long-lasting enhancement
Diffusion-weighted	Mass with hypointense signal and high ADC on images obtained with high b values

AE: Alveolar echinococcosis; CT: Computed tomography; US: Ultrasonography; BF: Blood flow; BV: Blood volume; ALP: Arterial liver perfusion; PVP: Portal-venous perfusion; ADC: Apparent diffusion coefficient.