ABSTRACT
Purpose To compare the CT features of hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML) and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and improve diagnostic accuracy for HAML. Materials and Methods The CT findings of 9 patients with HAML confirmed pathologically and 20 patients with HCC were retrospectively analyzed in terms of lesion location, appearance, size, margin, CT value at each phase, cirrhosis and vessel presence inside tumor. Results Mean CT value on plain scan and at arterial phase on contrast enhanced scan of HAML was significantly lower than that of HCC (t=-2.885, P0.05). CT value on plain scan and at arterial phase of both HAML and HCC was not significantly different (t=1.289, P>0.05) whilst that at portal vein phase was significantly different (t=2.516, P<0.05). Central vessels were shown in 7 cases of HAML and 3 cases of HCC, pseudocapsule appeared in 1 case of HAML and 13 cases of HCC with statistical difference (χ2=10.828, 7.219;P<0.01). Conclusion CT scan of HAML reveals the component of fat and presentsfast in and slow outpattern, large shadow of vessel and absence of capsule on contrast enhanced scan, which can be helpful in the differential diagnosis from HCCs.