Relationships between echo level and histologic characteristics in small hepatocellular carcinomas

✍ Scribed by Itoh, Yoshinobu; Akamatsu, Kouichi

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 403 KB
• Volume: 26
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0091-2751
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0096(199807/08)26:6<295::aid-jcu3>3.0.co;2-d

✦ Synopsis

Purpose:

The relationships between ultrasound echo level and histologic characteristics of hepatocellular carcinomas (hccs) of 2 cm or less in diameter were studied.

Methods:

The apparent echo level and frequency-dependent attenuation from the abdominal wall to the tumor and surrounding liver parenchyma were quantitated on b-mode images using diagnostic ultrasound equipment. the inherent echo level corrected by the frequency-dependent attenuation was used in this study. histologic specimens were collected by sonographically guided small-gauge core-needle biopsy. increase in deposition of fat and changes in cellular density and in connective tissue density were evaluated histologically.

Results:

From the quantitative comparison of echo levels and histologic characteristics, it was evident that the deposition of fat caused an increase in echo levels. a reduction in connective tissue density resulted in a decrease in echo levels in hypoechoic hccs, which had no or little fat deposition.

Conclusions:

The estimation of echo level in small hccs may be useful in predicting the tumors' histologic characteristics.