Departments of Diagnostic Radiology and Pathology1, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE : To evaluate the relationship of echo-patterns with pathologic findings in small hepatocellularcarcinoma(HCC). MATERIAL & METHODS : Sonographic and pathologic correlation was done retrospectively in l5 casesof small HCC (≤ 3cm). The echogenecity of the lesion was compared with that of the adjacent normal liverparenchyma and classified into hypoechogenicity, isoechogenicity, and hyperechogenicity. The resected lesions wereanalyzed regarding the presence of coagulation necrosis, hemorrhage, fatty change, interstitial fibrosis, andsinusoidal dilatation. Assuming that those features contributed to the echogenicity of the lesion, we counted thenumber of the pathologic features that were seen in the resected lesion. RESULTS : Nine lesions classified asisoechoic, four lesions as hypoechoic, and two lesions as hyperechoic. At pathologic examination of the resectedlesion, interstitial fibrosis was seen in 5 cases (33%), sinusoidal dilatation in 4(27%), coagulation necrosis in2(l3%), fatty change in 2(l3%), and hemorrhage in 1(7%). All hypoechoic lesions were composed of purely cellularcomponent without evidence of the pathologic features described above. The average number of the pathologicfeatures was 1 in isoechoic lesion and 2 in hyperechoic lesion. CONCLUSION : Echo-patterns of small hepatocellularcarcinoma are considred to be related with pathologic findings. Coagulation necrosis, hemorrhage, fatty change,interstitial fibrosis, and sinusidal dilatation contribute to the increased echogenicity of small HCC.