Color Doppler Imaging of Hepatic Tumors

Kim, Chang Woo; Son, Chang Woo; Shin, Se Kwen; Choi, Min Yun; Lee, Jun Woo; Jang, Kyung Jae; Chun, Byung Hee

Abstract

PURPOSE
To evaluate the color Doppler imaging patterns of hepatoma, hemangioma, and metastasis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study comprised 37 patients with liver mass lesions: 12 patients had hepatoma, 15 had hemangiomas and10 had metastatic liver cancers. All 37, who showed hepatic mass on gray scale ultrasonogrphy, were analyzed prospectively. Color mapping of tumors was performed for these patients, and the fastest or next fastest vessel was spectrally analysed to show blood pattern and to measure peak velocity.
RESULTS
In all the 12 patients with hepatoma, spectral analysis revealed exteusive pulsating arterial blood flow within the tumor ; peak velocities were 7~65cm/sec(mean 34cm/sec). In ten hemangiomas(66%) color mapping revealed blood flow within the tumor and spectral analysis revealed this possibility in eight of the ten tumors. In none of these patients was a pulsating continous wave observed ; peak velocity was 5~21cm/sec(mean 12.8cm/sec). In no mestastatic tumors was blood flow observed.
CONCLUSION
Color Doppler imaging is helpful in the differentiation of hepatoma, hemangioma, and metastatic tumor in the liver.