| Theme |
Algorithm for Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer |
| Title |
Imaging Modalities for Surveillance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Special Reference to Gd-EOB-DTPA Enhanced MR Imaging |
| Author |
Yasuharu Imai |
Department of Gastroenterology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Sachiyo Kogita |
Department of Gastroenterology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Takumi Igura |
Department of Gastroenterology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Manabu Tamura |
Department of Radiology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Yasushi Seki |
Department of Radiology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Yusuke Tsuchimoto |
Department of Gastroenterology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Yoshiyuki Sawai |
Department of Gastroenterology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Kazuto Fukuda |
Department of Gastroenterology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Makoto Takeuchi |
Department of Pathology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital |
| Author |
Masahiro Okada |
Department of Radiology, Kinki University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Takamichi Murakami |
Department of Radiology, Kinki University School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
Recently, a great deal of progress has been made in imaging modalities for hepatocellular carcinoma including multidetector-row CT, MR imaging and ultrasonography. The second generation contrast agents for sonography, Sonazoid, and gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylene triamine (Gd-EOB-DTPA), which are liver-specific MR contrast agents, have also become clinically available. These new contrast agents provide functional imaging of hepatocellular carcinomas such as Kupffer cell and hepatocyte functions in addition to morphology, vascularity and diffusion-weighted imaging, resulting in great advances in diagnostic accuracy for hepatocellular carcinomas. Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MR imaging, provides both dynamic and liver-specific images and is particularly useful for the diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma as well as hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma. It can also be utilized for surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma in combination with ultrasound as a non-invasive imaging technique. |