Radiology, Vol 171, 63-68, Copyright © 1989 by Radiological Society of North America
Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: report of five cases
S Furui, Y Itai, K Ohtomo, T Yamauchi, E Takenaka, M Iio, K Ibukuro, Y Shichijo and Y Inoue
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Results of computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography (US), angiography, and
radionuclide imaging were analyzed in five cases of histologically proved
hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE), a rare vascular tumor of
adults that has a variable but often long clinical course. All patients
received palliative treatment. CT and US were performed repeatedly over a
period of up to 53 months. Initial radiologic examination showed two types
of hepatic lesions: multiple nodules in both lobes (nodular lesions, n = 2)
and large masses with or without calcifications that generally spread along
the hepatic margins (diffuse lesions, n = 3). Nodular lesions may be an
earlier form of hepatic EHE, as they later gradually changed into the
diffuse type. Follow-up CT after treatment showed definite regression of
tumors in two cases. In the differential diagnosis, the radiologic findings
of diffuse lesions were considered to be specific to hepatic EHE, while
those of nodular lesions were nonspecific.
