scholarly journals Hepatocellular Carcinoma Is the Most Frequent Final Diagnosis of Focal Liver Lesions Identified in a Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Patients with Chronic Liver Disease in Saudi Arabia

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adnan Agha ◽  
Manuele Furnari ◽  
Rafaat Morched Chakik ◽  
Mamdouh M. Abdulhadi Ali ◽  
Dib Alsaudi ◽  
...  

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent diagnosis in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and a newly identified liver lesion, although benign diseases may also be responsible for this finding. Objective. To evaluate the characteristics of focal liver lesions in a population of patients with CLD not under surveillance for HCC in the Middle East. Methods. We performed a cross-sectional study evaluating 77 patients with CLD and a focal liver lesion identified during ultrasonography. Patients’ characteristics were analyzed on the basis of the final diagnosis (HCC versus benign lesions). Results. The most frequent diagnosis was HCC (64.9%). These patients were older (median age 64 versus 55 years, P=0.003) and cirrhotics (80.0% versus 51.9%, P=0.018), with multinodular lesions (58.0% versus 29.6%, P=0.031) and portal vein thrombosis (24.0% versus 0%, P=0.001) compared to patients with benign lesions. Prevalence of elevated alpha-fetoprotein (>10 ng/mL) was similar in both groups (80.0% versus 88.9%, P=0.198). Cirrhosis (odds ratio: 3.283) and multinodularity (odds ratio: 2.898) were independently associated with HCC. Conclusions. HCC is the most common diagnosis in Middle-Eastern patients with CLD and a liver lesion identified outside HCC surveillance programs, especially in cirrhotic patients. In these patients, elevated alpha-fetoprotein does not differentiate HCC from benign lesions.

Author(s):  
Cheng Fang ◽  
Sudha A. Anupindi ◽  
Susan J. Back ◽  
Doris Franke ◽  
Thomas G. Green ◽  
...  

AbstractContrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is increasingly being used in children. One of the most common referrals for CEUS performance is characterization of indeterminate focal liver lesions and follow-up of known liver lesions. In this setting, CEUS is performed with intravenous administration of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs). When injected into a vein, UCA microbubbles remain confined within the vascular network until they dissipate. Therefore, visualization of UCA within the tissues and lesions corresponds to true blood flow. CEUS enables continuous, real-time observation of the enhancement pattern of a focal liver lesion, allowing in most cases for a definite diagnosis and obviating the need for further cross-sectional imaging or other interventional procedures. The recent approval of Lumason (Bracco Diagnostics, Monroe Township, NJ) for pediatric liver CEUS applications has spurred the widespread use of CEUS. In this review article we describe the role of CEUS in pediatric liver applications, focusing on the examination technique and interpretation of main imaging findings of the most commonly encountered benign and malignant focal liver lesions. We also compare the diagnostic performance of CEUS with other imaging modalities for accurate characterization of focal liver lesions.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 790
Author(s):  
Monica Lupsor-Platon ◽  
Teodora Serban ◽  
Alexandra Iulia Silion ◽  
George Razvan Tirpe ◽  
Alexandru Tirpe ◽  
...  

Global statistics show an increasing percentage of patients that develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), even in the absence of cirrhosis. In the present review, we analyzed the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography (US) in the non-invasive evaluation of NAFLD and NAFLD-related HCC, as well as possibilities of optimizing US diagnosis with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) assistance. To date, US is the first-line examination recommended in the screening of patients with clinical suspicion of NAFLD, as it is readily available and leads to a better disease-specific surveillance. However, the conventional US presents limitations that significantly hamper its applicability in quantifying NAFLD and accurately characterizing a given focal liver lesion (FLL). Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) are an essential add-on to the conventional B-mode US and to the Doppler US that further empower this method, allowing the evaluation of the enhancement properties and the vascular architecture of FLLs, in comparison to the background parenchyma. The current paper also explores the new universe of AI and the various implications of deep learning algorithms in the evaluation of NAFLD and NAFLD-related HCC through US methods, concluding that it could potentially be a game changer for patient care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 201010582199280
Author(s):  
Hany Haqimi Wan Hanafi ◽  
Nazri Mustaffa ◽  
Yeong Yeh Lee ◽  
Siti Nurbaya Mohd Nawi

The association between emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) and diabetes mellitus is well known. EPN as the cause of sepsis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rare and unreported. We report a case of EPN in a non-diabetic HCC patient, in which the clinical features of decompensated chronic liver disease masked the more sinister urological emergency to a certain degree. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a mixture of gas and fluid in the left retrorenal space, in keeping with left EPN. Nevertheless, the course of clinical deterioration was rather rapid that any surgical intervention was not feasible.


Diagnostics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandi Kwee ◽  
Linda Wong ◽  
Brenda Hernandez ◽  
Owen Chan ◽  
Miles Sato ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document