DETECTABILITY OF HYPERVASCULAR HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA BY ARTERIAL PHASE IMAGES OF MR AND SPIRAL CT

The ability of arterial phase images of breath-hold MR imaging and spi ral CT to detect hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) was ev aluated. Prior to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with iodized oil, MR images and spiral CT during i.v. bolus injection of c ontrast medium (IV-MR imaging and IV-spiral CT) and spiral CT during i ntraarterial injection of contrast media through catheter (IA-spiral C T) of the entire liver were obtained in 24 consecutive patients with 9 3 HCCs. In the detection of HCCs less than 1 cm in diameter, IA-spiral CT (87.3%) was superior to IV-MR imaging (63.5%) and IV-spiral CT (54 .0%) (p <0.001). There was no significant difference in detectability in any tumor size between IV-MR imaging and IV-spiral CT IA-spiral CT was the best for detecting hypervascular HCCs, and there was no signif icant difference between IV-MR imaging and IV-spiral CT.