Brief Reports
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2005; 11(17): 2666-2669
Published online May 7, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i17.2666
Capability of multidetector CT to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma-associated arterioportal shunt
Ming-Yue Luo, Hong Shan, Zai-Bo Jiang, Wen-Wei Liang, Jian-Sheng Zhang, Lu-Fang Li
Ming-Yue Luo, Hong Shan, Zai-Bo Jiang, Wen-Wei Liang, Jian-Sheng Zhang, Lu-Fang Li, Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Ming-Yue Luo, Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China. myluo@yahoo.com.cn
Telephone: +86-20-85260875 Fax: +86-20-87536401
Received: May 27, 2004
Revised: May 28, 2004
Accepted: June 17, 2004
Published online: May 7, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the capability of multidetector CT (MDCT) to diagnose HCC-associated arterioportal shunt (APS).

METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-two patients with HCC received both thin-slice and enhancement MDCT scanning at early hepatic arterial phase, late hepatic arterial phase and portal venous phase, and digital subtract angiography (DSA) examination. Images were analyzed jointly by two experienced radiologists blinded to the opposite examination results, including the existence or not of APS, shunt locations, types and degrees of APS, with or without thrombosis.

RESULTS: There were 56 APS associated with HCC, including 48 central, seven peripheral and one mixed, or 42 severe, seven moderate, seven mild APS. Forty-one severe, seven moderate and central APS were all revealed with MDCT and DSA. Seven mild and peripheral APS were all displayed with MDCT; only five of them displayed DSA, two faint shunt APS associated with massive HCC were missed. One mixed APS was demonstrated as severe combined with mild shunt with both MDCT and DSA.

CONCLUSION: MDCT could diagnose not only DSA revealed APS, but also missed mild and peripheral APS with DSA due to faint shunt associated with massive HCC, is a simple, effective and noninvasive new technique for diagnosis of HCC-associated APS.

Keywords: Hepatocelluar carcinoma; Arterioportal shunt; CT