Hepatocellular adenoma CT

Computed Tomography

 * Fat or hemorrhage can easily be identified on unenhanced images, and delayed-phase images demonstrate the tendency for fibrotic components to enhance and retain contrast material.


 * Because adenomas consist almost entirely of uniform hepatocytes and a variable number of Kupffer cells, most adenomas are nearly isoattenuating relative to normal liver on unenhanced, portal venous–phase, and delayed-phase images.


 * In patients with fatty liver, adenomas are hyperattenuating at all phases of contrast enhancement and on unenhanced images as well.


 * Small hepatocellular adenomas enhance rapidly and are hyperattenuating relative to the liver.


 * Excluding lesions with acute or old tumor hemorrhage and fat deposition, hepatocellular adenoma demonstrated homogeneous or nearly homogeneous enhancement in approx 80% of cases.


 * The enhancement usually does not persist in adenomas because of arteriovenous shunting.


 * Larger hepatocellular adenomas may be more heterogeneous than smaller lesions, and their CT appearance is less specific.