HEPATIC ANGIOMYOLIPOMAS: ULTRASONIC CHARACTERISTICS OF 25 PATIENTS FROM A SINGLE CENTER

Twenty-five pathologically proven hepatic angiomyolipomas (AMLs) were included in the study. Ultra- sonic features of hepatic AMLs were reviewed. Three types of echogenicity were observed on ultrasound exami- nation: (i) strong hyper-echogenicity, (ii) moderate hyper-echogenicity and (iii) hypo-echogenicity. Vascular signals within tumors could be detected in 22 (88.00%) tumors as multiple punctiform, filiform or dendriform sig- nals by color Doppler flow imaging. Based on the enhancement patterns in the arterial, portal and late phases, the features of hepatic AMLs on contrast-enhanced ultrasound were divided into four subtypes: (i) ''fast in slow out'' (68.00%, n 5 17); (ii) ''fast in same out'' (16%, n 5 4); (iii) ''fast in fast out'' (12.00%, n 5 3); and (iv) ''fast in uneven out'' (4.00%, n 5 1). Contrast-enhanced ultrasound diagnosed 22 (88.00%) tumors as benign tumors and 13 (52.00%) as hepatic AMLs. Four cases were misdiagnosed as hepatic hemangioma, five cases as focal nodular hyperplasia (total 5 36.00%). The rate of correct diagnosis of hepatic AMLs increased significantly from 24.00% for ultrasound alone to 52.00% for contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Therefore, information obtained from ultrasound, color Doppler flow imaging and contrast-enhanced ultrasound should be combined to improve diagnosis. (E-mail: tiananjiang@126.com) 2015 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.