Inhomogeneous enhancement of liver parenchyma secondary to passive congestion: contrast-enhanced CT.

Passive liver congestion secondary to increased hepatic venous pressure may accompany congestive heart failure. Abnormal patterns of hepatic parenchymal contrast medium enhancement in 25 patients with advanced congestive heart failure who were studied with computed tomography (CT) include a lobulated, patchy, inhomogeneous pattern in all 25 patients, an irregular perivascular enhancement in 14, and a global delay in parenchymal enhancement in nine. CT examinations showed cardiomegaly in the 20 patients with cardiac failure and pericardial effusion or thickening in the five patients with pericardial disease. Also noted were distention of the inferior vena cava (IVC) in 24 patients, hepatomegaly in 23, early reflux of contrast medium into the IVC in 21 and hepatic veins in 16, and hepatic perivascular lymph-edema in six. The abnormal patterns are thought to be due to slowing of hepatic blood flow. Confusion with Budd-Chiari syndrome and other forms of multifocal hepatic disease is avoidable with clinical and radiologic correlation.