J Korean Soc Med Ultrasound.  1997 Sep;16(3):271-276.

Intratumoral Vascularity of Experimentally Induced VX2 Carcinoma: Comparison of Color Doppler Sonography and Microangiography

• Won HJ
• Seo JB
• Kim SH
• Park KS
• Na DG
• Choi BI

Abstract

PURPOSE
To assess the usefulness and limitations of color Doppler sonography in evaluating the tumor vascularity by comparison with micreoangiography. MATERIALS & METHODS: Color Doppler sonography and microangiography were performed on VX2 carcinomas in thigh of 15 rabbits in identical axial plane. Pattern and distribution of intratumoral neovascularity was analyzed. For quantitative analysis, tumor vascularity was itemized into four (distribution of tumor vessels, crowdedness of vessels, thick vessels, and thin vessels), and tumor bleed flow signals of color Doppler sonography was graded as 3, 2, 1, 0(100-75%, 75-50%, 50-25%, 25-0%, respectively) compared with tumor vascularity on microangiography. Tumor vascular area percentages per tumor area in each study were compared.
RESULTS
Maximal diameter of VX2 carcinoma ranges from 1.2 cm to 3.0 cm (mean 2.0 cm). Ten tumors showed peripheral multi-layer thick vessels and central thin vessels and remaining five showed peripheral thin vessels and poor central vascularity. The mean scores of tumor vascularity on color Doppler sonogram were 2.4, 2.2, 2.8, and 1.7 in tumor vascular distribution, crowdedness of vessels, thick vessels and thin vessels, respectively. Mean score in thin vessel imaging was relatively low. Tumor vascular area percentages per tumor area were 22.7% and 17.9% on color Doppler sonography and microangiography. Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.704 showing correlation.
CONCLUSION
Color Doppler sonography is a useful medality in evaluating the tumor vascularity except for thin vessels.

MeSH Terms

Numismatics
Rabbits
Thigh