Liver hemangioma - an angiographic contribution to the differential diagnosis of sonographic lesions

Small liver hemangiomas are displayed as echogenic as well as sonolucent patterns on ultrasonic scans. Differentiation from malignomas is difficult and responsible, hepatomas and solitary metastases being possible. By partial liver resection the malignant diseases can be treated successfully. Therefore an accurate diagnosis is to be aimed at. Of all the methods only angiography can ensure a certain amount of clarity. This is possible under the following circumstances: The cavernomas must be of a certain size. They must not withdraw from evidence due to large avascular areas which can result from thrombosis, fibrosis or necrosis. Moreover a superselective filling of the hepatic artery is claimed but not always possible. If the portal vein is opacified it conceals the radiologically typical image of the cavernoma. Under these circumstances only few moments of the late arterial and the hepatovenous phases remain to detect the hemangioma in the seriogram. (orig.)