Magnetic resonance imaging findings of primary hepatic angiosarcoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics and pathological imaging findings of primary hepatic angiosarcoma (PHA).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical, pathological and MRI data of 15 cases of PHA confirmed by pathology at the Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University from October 2011 to August 2022, including 9 males and 6 females, aged (57.4±11.5) years old. The MRI data included the number, location, size, morphology, signal intensity on non-contrast MRI, enhancement features, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the lesions were collected.Results:Among the 15 cases, 4 presented as dominant masses, 10 as multiple nodules, and 1 as diffuse small nodule type. Among the 15 patients, 11(73.3%) had multiple lesions, all involving the left and right lobes of the liver. The size of the lesion varies from punctate to 13.5 cm. A total of 24 lumpy lesions and 53 nodular lesions were analyzed. Among the 24 lumpy lesions, 14 were irregular. Among the 53 nodular lesions, 28 were quasi circular and 25 were irregular. Compared to nodular lesions, the signal of lumpy lesions is uneven, with varying degrees of necrotic areas visible in 100% (24/24) and bleeding in 91.7% (22/24) of the cases. The arterial phase enhancement of 24 lumpy lesions was mainly characterized by central cord, grid like enhancement with or without peripheral points, lines, and incomplete ring enhancement (66.7%, 16/24). The arterial phase of 53 nodular lesions mainly showed circular and overall enhancement (64.2%, 34/53), while during the portal vein, continuous circular enhancement, centripetal or grid filling and complete enhancement were observed. After removing some small lesions or artifact interference, 55 lesions were measured, and the ADC value of the lesions was (1.57±0.54)×10 -3 mm 2/s, the ADC of adjacent liver parenchyma in the same layer was (1.36±0.30)×10 -3 mm 2/s, the difference between the two was statistically significant ( P=0.012). Conclusions:The MRI manifestations of PHA patients have certain characteristics, especially the discovery of vascular perforation and malformation within the lesion. Combined with clinical and laboratory examinations, it is helpful for the diagnosis of the disease.