Three-Phase Helical Computed Tomographic Findings of Hepatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

Abstract

To evaluate 3-phase helical computed tomographic (CT) findings of hepatic neuroendocrine tumors and to correlate them with pathologic diagnoses based on the revised World Health Organization classification. Over a 14-year period, we collected 38 patients with pathologically proven neuroendocrine tumors of the liver, either primary or metastatic, who had 3-phase helical CT scans. CT findings were evaluated for the morphologic and enhancement patterns (ie, hepatocellular carcinomalike, cholangiocarcinomalike, and combined patterns), and correlated those with pathologic diagnoses. The morphologic patterns were variable regardless of the pathologic diagnoses, except necrosis (P = 0.024). For the enhancement pattern, almost half of the tumors showed hepatocellular carcinomalike pattern, and the other half showed cholangiocarcinomalike or combined patterns, without correlation between the enhancement pattern and pathologic diagnoses (P = 0.402). The CT features of hepatic neuroendocrine tumors were variable and did not correlate with their pathologic diagnoses. However, hepatic neuroendocrine tumors frequently show hepatocellular carcinomalike arterial enhancement, and often show cholangiocarcinomalike delayed enhancement.