[Evaluation of blood flows inside hepatic tumors using color Doppler echography with galactose-based intravenous contrast medium "SH/TA 508" administration].

The purpose of this study is to evaluate hemodynamic characteristics of various hepatic tumors using color Doppler echography administered galactose-based intravenous contrast medium "SH/TA 508 (Levovist)". Subject were 9 cases of hepatocellular carcinomas, 5 cases of metastatic liver tumors and a case of hemangioma. We evaluated the characteristics of blood flows inside various hepatic tumors, and also evaluated the first pass through the hepatic tumors during administration of Levovist. The strongly pulsatile branched blood flows inside tumor and the slow-increased and plateau patterns were observed in the all cases of hepatocellular carcinomas, the weakly pulsatile blood flows surrounding tumor and the rapid-increased and slow-decreased patterns were observed in the cases of metastatic liver tumors, and the continuous blood streams in the margin of tumor and the slow-increased and slow-decreased pattern were observed in the case of hemangioma. These findings were characteristic in various hepatic tumors, and color Doppler echography enhanced by Levovist was very useful to distinguish hepatic tumors.