Hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma: can double arterial phase imaging with multidetector CT improve tumor depiction in the cirrhotic liver?

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the efficacy of double arterial phase CT with multidetector CT for the detection of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma in the cirrhotic liver.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Double arterial phase images with multidetector CT were evaluated using quantitative, qualitative, and receiver operating characteristic analyses for 59 patients with 78 hepatocellular carcinomas. Early and late arterial phase (double arterial phase) CT scans were obtained at a fixed time of 25 and 40 sec, respectively, after administration of contrast material. Total dose and injection rate of contrast material were 100 mL and 3 mL/sec, respectively.

RESULTS

On the basis of the receiver operating characteristic curves, the mean area under the curve values of the late (0.98) and combined arterial phase CT scans (0.98) were equivalent, and both were significantly greater than the mean of the early arterial phase CT scans (0.842) for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (p < 0.05). The mean relative sensitivity values obtained with the late (69/78, 88%) and combined arterial phase CT scans (70/78, 90%) were also equivalent and were significantly greater than those obtained with the early arterial phase CT scans (52/78, 67%; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Double arterial phase CT with multidetector CT showed no significant improvement in effectiveness compared with single late arterial phase CT used alone for detecting hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma in the cirrhotic liver.