Hepatic Focal Nodular Hyperplasia Research Articles

Interventional Radiology Management of Pediatric Liver Tumors

AbstractPediatric liver tumors are not only rare, they are also different from the adult liver tumors. Hepatoblastomas and hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) are the most common primary malignant tumors seen in children. Fibrolamellar HCC, sarcomas, cholangiocarcinoma, germ cell tumor, and rhabdoid tumor and metastatic tumors comprise the remainder of liver malignancies. Hepatic infantile hemangiomas, mesenchymal hamartoma, regenerative nodules, adenomas, and focal nodular hyperplasia are the common benign liver tumors of childhood. The Pediatric Hepatic International Tumour Trial (PHITT) is an international trial with the goal of evaluating new and existing treatments for pediatric liver tumors. Chemotherapy, surgery, and liver transplantation are well-established in the management of pediatric liver tumors. In the background of increasing incidence of pediatric tumors, and availability of newer, less invasive modalities to treat tumors, it is vital to understand the role of interventional radiology in the management of pediatric liver tumors.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with type II Abernethy malformation in an adolescent: a case report

The article provides a case of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with congenital extrahepatic portocaval shunt (CEPS), or Abernethy malformation, in a 17-year-old female patient. CEPS, which remained undiagnosed for a long time, manifested with severe encephalopathy at an early age. By the age of 6 years, it was complicated by PAH, and by the age of 9 years — by hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia. In the absence of timely surgical treatment and adequate therapy of CEPS, PAH progressed. Combined dual therapy for PAH, prescribed only at age 14, was ineffective. Despite the potential for clinical and functional improvement documented with combination triple therapy at 17 years of age, the patient continued to meet criteria for a high risk of adverse events, including mortality. Two months after the initiation of triple therapy for PAH, not achieving the target hemodynamic characteristics that would reduce operative and perioperative risks lead to an attempt of surgical treatment of CEPS, which led to the patient death in the early postoperative period. The description of this case report shows the difficulties of diagnosing a rare form of portopulmonary hypertension, the modern possibilities of drug therapy for a severe, potentially curable PAH in the early stages.

Ultrasound-guided thermal ablation versus laparoscopic surgery for focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver: A retrospective controlled study.

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the value of the clinical application of ultrasound-guided percutaneous thermal ablation in focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) by comparing its safety, effectiveness, and patient experience to surgery in the treatment of hepatic FNH ≤5 cm.MethodThis retrospective study enrolled 82 patients with hepatic FNH having a maximum diameter of ≤5 cm, confirmed by postoperative pathologic diagnosis or needle biopsy, who underwent thermal ablation or surgery between January 2019 and September 2021. Postoperative efficacy, surgical trauma (operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, liver function, and lost volume of normal liver tissue), postoperative complications (postoperative infection, pleural effusion, and liver dysfunction), patient experience (degree and time of postoperative pain, postoperative fasting time, indwelling thoracic chest drain, and scar size), and economic indices (postoperative hospitalization and total charges) were compared between both groups.ResultNo significant difference existed in postoperative efficacy between both groups (p > 0.05). No recurrent or new lesions were observed during the 6-month follow-up in both groups. However, significant differences were observed in operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, and lost volume of normal liver tissue (p < 0.05), with significantly less trauma in the thermal ablation group. No statistically significant differences in ALT, AST, and Hb existed between both groups (p > 0.05); however, albumin was higher in the ablation group compared to the surgery group (38.21 ± 3.32 vs. 34.84 ± 3.71 g/L, p < 0.05), and WBC were lower in the ablation group (11.91 ± 3.37 vs. 13.94 ± 3.65/L, p < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the ablation group was significantly lower than that in the surgery group (p < 0.05). Patient experiences were significantly better than in the surgical group (p < 0.05), with economic indicators being significantly less in the ablation group (p < 0.05).ConclusionUltrasound-guided percutaneous thermal ablation can treat hepatic FNH ≤5 cm with similar clinical efficacy as surgery and is an economical, safe, and minimally invasive treatment method worthy of recommendation.

Radiomics Study for Differentiating Focal Hepatic Lesions Based on Unenhanced CT Images.

ObjectivesTo investigate the feasibility of computer-aided discriminative diagnosis among hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), hepatic metastasis, hepatic hemangioma, hepatic cysts, hepatic adenoma, and hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia, based on radiomics analysis of unenhanced CT images.Methods452 patients with 77 with HCC, 104 with hepatic metastases, 126 with hepatic hemangioma, 99 with hepatic cysts, 24 with FNH, 22 with HA, who underwent CT examination from 2016 to 2018, were included. Radcloud Platform was used to extract radiomics features from manual delineation on unenhanced CT images. Most relevant radiomic features were selected from 1409 via LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator). The whole dataset was divided into training and testing set with the ratio of 8:2 using computer-generated random numbers. Support Vector Machine (SVM) was used to establish the classifier.ResultsThe computer-aided diagnosis model was established based on radiomic features of unenhanced CT images. 27 optimal discriminative features were selected to distinguish the six different histopathological types of all lesions. The classifiers had good diagnostic performance, with the area under curve (AUC) values greater than 0.900 in training and validation groups. The overall accuracy of the training and testing set about differentiating the six different histopathological types of all lesions was 0.88 and 0.76 respectively. 34 optimal discriminative were selected to distinguish the benign and malignant tumors. The overall accuracy in the training and testing set was 0.89and 0.84 respectively.ConclusionsThe computer-aided discriminative diagnosis model based on unenhanced CT images has good clinical potential in distinguishing focal hepatic lesions with noninvasive radiomic features.

Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Thermal Ablation of Hepatic Focal Nodular Hyperplasia--A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Background and Aim: To evaluate the clinical effect of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous thermal ablation of hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH). Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of patients undergoing US-guided percutaneous thermal ablation of FNH from November 2008 to August 2021 at five medical centers in China was conducted. Results: A total of 53 patients were included (26 males and 27 females). The mean age was 35.1 ± 10.8 years. Sixty-five lesions (46 solitary cases and 7 cases with multiple lesions) were included, 70.8% (46/65) of which were located in the right liver lobe. The mean tumor length was 2.9 ± 1.5 cm. All patients successfully completed the ablation treatment. Immediate postoperative imaging showed that the primary technical success rate was 94.3% (50/53). Two patients underwent ablation 3 and 6 months after the primary ablation, and the secondary technical success rate was 100% (2/2). The incidence of complications was 3.8% (2/53). Imaging follow-up was conducted regularly after ablation, and no residual lesion enlargement or tumor recurrence was observed during the follow-up period. The technique efficacy rate was 98.1% (52/53). Conclusion: US-guided percutaneous thermal ablation is a safe and effective treatment for FNH of the liver.

Hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia in a five-year-old healthy boy: A case report and literature review

Introduction: Focal nodular hyperplasia is unusually seen in a pediatric age group, with few reported cases in the literature. We report the case of a 5-year-old boy not known to have medical illnesses, who was found to have a liver mass, underwent right trisectionectomy. The purpose of this report is to familiarize the healthcare community with similar events, review the literature, and discuss recommendations for future similar cases. Case Report: A case of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) in a 5-year-old healthy boy who was found to have a huge liver lesion on ultrasound imaging due to a vague abdominal pain and distension. The patient underwent surgical excision of the mass due to abdominal pain, distension, and atypical features of FNH in radiological examinations. Histopathological analysis revealed a focal nodular hyperplasia. Conclusion: Focal nodular hyperplasia considered a benign lesion that has no malignant transformation. The presenting symptoms are variable, usually asymptomatic. Laboratory tests have of little significance. Imaging modalities mainly ultrasound scan initially then magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are useful to obtain more accurate characteristic features of the lesion. Uncertain diagnostic lesion needs to be biopsied and examined under microscopy. Confirming the diagnosis will follow an acceptable conservative management approach. Surgical resection is the preferred method in uncertain, questionable, or atypical features observed in radiological imaging.

Abstract No. 598 Clinical manifestations of patients with novel mutations associated with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and related vascular anomalies

In this series, 4 patients with HHT were identified with novel GDF2 mutations. They were compared to an individual with capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation syndrome (CM-AVM) secondary to a RASA1 mutation to highlight the clinical similarity between the two diseases. With IRB exemption, the electronic medical record was searched with the search term HHT, genetic mutation, pulmonary arteriovenous malformation. The eligibility criteria included only those patients with a novel mutation in the GDF2 and RASA1 locus. The initial search resulted in 776 total patients with a suspected diagnosis of HHT. 162 patients had genetic testing done. We derived 5 patients with HHT-like clinical presentations found to have a novel (GDF2, n = 4) or related (RASA1, n = 1) mutation. 5 patients were included with a mean age of 17 years (range, < 1–37) with 60% female. 4 patients had a mutation or deletion in the GDF2 gene, and 1 patient had a RASA1 mutation and was diagnosed with CM-AVM. See Table. All GDF2 patients reported childhood nosebleeds, but only 1/ 4 patients continue to experience epistaxis by adulthood. 2/4 patients reported self-limited nosebleeds that resolved by adulthood. Mucocutaneous telangiectasia was observed only in 1/4 patients and in an atypical location. Unlike classic HHT, AVM and telangiectasia were not observed in the pulmonary or the hepatic vasculatures of GDF2 patients. 1 patient with a missense GDF2 mutation was found to have a hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia. The patient with CM-AVM also did not exhibit pulmonary or hepatic vascular involvement. GDF2 mutations predominately affected the cerebrovasculature. 2/4 GDF2 mutated patients suffered from brain vascular malformation. A third patient presented for evaluation after her daughter was diagnosed with a brain AVM. A frontal AVM and macrocephaly were diagnosed in the CM-AVM patient.3 patients with GDF2 mutations and one with RASA1 mutation were found to have some form of cardiac abnormalities. Clinical manifestations of HHT secondary to GDF2 mutations presented differently and exhibit overlapping features as CM-AVM due to RASA1 mutation.Tabled 1SexAge (years)DiagnosisGeneNucleotide ChangeProtein ChangeMutation TypeSignificanceF3CM-AVMRASA1c.2131C >Tp.Arg711TerNonsensePathogenicF37HHTGDF2c.1063G >Cp.Glu355GlnMissenseUnknownM32HHTGDF2c.1207G >Ap.Val403IleMissenseUnknownF13HHTGDF25.10-Mb deletion of 10q11.22 to 10q11.2336 genes deletedDeletionLikely pathogenicM0HHTGDF25.5-Mb deletion of 10q11.22 to 10q11.23UndeterminedDeletionLikely pathogenic Open table in a new tab

Long-term follow-up of high-risk neuroblastoma survivors treated with high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation rescue.

Intensive treatments including high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with autologous stem cell rescue have improved high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB) survival. We report the long-term health status of 145 HRNB survivors, alive and disease-free 5 years post HDC. Median follow-up was 15 years (range = 5-34). Six patients experienced late relapses, 11 developed second malignant neoplasms (SMNs), and 9 died. Event-free and overall survivals 20 years post HDC were 82% (95% CI = 70%-90%) and 89% (78%-95%), respectively. Compared with the French general population, the standardized mortality ratio was 19 (95% CI = 8.7-36.1; p < 0.0001) and the absolute excess risk was 37.6 (19.2-73.5). Late effects were observed in 135/145 patients (median = 3 events/patient); 103 had at least one severe event. SMNs arose at a median of 20 years post HDC and included carcinoma (n = 5), sarcoma (2), acute myeloid leukemia (2), melanoma (1), and malignant glioma (1). Non-oncologic health events included dental maldevelopment (60%), severe hearing loss (20% cumulative probability at 15 years), hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia (14%), thyroid (11%), cardiac (8%), and renal (7%) diseases and growth retardation (height-for-age z-score ≤ -2 for 21%). Gonadal insufficiency was near-universal after busulfan (40/43 females, 33/35 males). Severe late effects are frequent and progressive in HRNB survivors needing systematic very long-term follow-up.

Differentiation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma from Hepatic Hemangioma and Focal Nodular Hyperplasia using Computed Tomographic Spectral Imaging.

Background and AimsHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary hepatic malignancy. This study was designed to investigate the value of computed tomography (CT) spectral imaging in differentiating HCC from hepatic hemangioma (HH) and focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH).MethodsThis was a retrospective study of 51 patients who underwent spectral multiple-phase CT at 40–140 keV during the arterial phase (AP) and portal venous phase (PP). Slopes of the spectral curves, iodine density, water density derived from iodine- and water-based material decomposition images, iodine uptake ratio (IUR), normalized iodine concentration, and the ratio of iodine concentration in liver lesions between AP and PP were measured or calculated.ResultsAs energy level decreased, the CT values of HCC (n=31), HH (n=17), and FNH (n=7) increased in both AP and PP. There were significant differences in IUR in the AP, IUR in the PP, normalized iodine concentration in the AP, slope in the AP, and slope in the PP among HCC, HH, and FNH. The CT values in AP, IUR in the AP and PP, normalized iodine concentration in the AP, slope in the AP and PP had high sensitivity and specificity in differentiating HH and HCC from FNH. Quantitative CT spectral data had higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional qualitative CT image analysis during the combined phases.ConclusionsMean CT values at low energy (40–90 keV) and quantitative analysis of CT spectral data (IUR in the AP) could be helpful in the differentiation of HCC, HH, and FNH.

Application of Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging in Laparoscopic Liver Surgery

To study the clinical use of indocyanine green(ICG)fluorescence imaging in laparoscopic liver surgery, the clinical and pathological data of 68 patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy using the ICG fluorescence imaging technique during the study period from September 2016 to October 2018 in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University were retrospectively analyzed. Analysis was carried out on the surgical methods, fluorescence navigation methods, ICG injection time and dose, tumor characteristics, and pathological studies of the resected specimens. Of 68 patients, only 3 patients were converted to open surgery. 32 patients underwent ICG fluorescent guided laparoscopic anatomical resection of lower hepatic segment/hepatic hemilivers(positive staining in 17 patients, negative staining in 15 patients), with 19 patients successfully staining with ICG(59.4%). Postoperative histopathology showed primary hepatic solid tumors(n=31), secondary liver tumors(n=12), hepatic cysts(n=4), hepatic hemangiomas(n=5), hepatolithiasis(n=12)and hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia(n=1). These lesions were combined with hepatitis B liver fibrosis in 29 patients. ICG fluorescence imaging positively impacted on laparoscopic liver surgery. Proper preoperative ICG injection was helpful for the identification, localization and intraoperative surgical guidance of tumors, especially for patients with deep-seated and central tumors. As a consequence, oncological and surgical safety of laparoscopic liver surgery was improved. Targeted visualization of liver segments and surgical navigation using intraoperative ICG injections facilitated accurate and precise resection of anatomical liver segments or hemi-hepatectomies. The use of intraoperative ICG fluorescence technology for hepatic hemangioma, hepatic cyst, intrahepatic bile duct stones and other benign liver lesions, helped to improve safety of surgery.

Focal Nodular Hyperplasia: The 7 Characteristic Features on Imaging

Focal nodular hyperplasia or FNH is the second most common benign liver tumour after hemangiomas. It is caused by abnormal alignment of hepatocytes, due to hypoperfusion or hyper perfusion in the hepatic lobule, from anomalous arteries [1-2]. It affects women mostly, in their reproductive age, and is usually asymptomatic, discovered incidentally through imaging, however, sometimes when enlarged it may cause discomfort and vague abdominal pain. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the method of choice for its diagnosis. The importance of recognizing FNH resides in its differential diagnosis: Hepatic adenoma, Hepatocellular carcinoma and hypervascular metastases (Figure 1). To confirm diagnosis, there are 7 characteristic features on imaging: 1. It is a homogeneous, non-capsulated lesion, with well-defined margins that are sometimes lobulated. 2. It is isoechoic on ultrasound. 3. In MRI: It is isointense on T1 weighted images or slightly hypointense and isointense on T2 weighted images or slightly hyperintense, because it contains disorganized hepatocytes, thus, signal stays homogeneous to liver signal 4. Surrounded liver parenchyma is respected. 5. It contains a central scar that may be seen in 50%-80% of the cases. 6. Contrast enhancement is typically intense and homogeneous at arterial phase, and becomes iso intense in the late phase. The central scar is hypointense in arterial phase, but becomes enhanced in the late phase. It presents no wash out. 7. It contains a feeding arteriole that develops towards the central scar. When asymptomatic, Patients only need an imaging follow up and no treatment is required, however, when symptomatic, surgical resection is necessary. Keywords: Liver; Focal; Lesion; Imaging; FNH References [1] Venturi A, Piscaglia F, Vidili G, Flori S, and Righini R, et al. (2007) Diagnosis and management of hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia. J Ultrasound. 10:116-127. [2] Matos AP, Velloni F, Ramalho M, AlObaidy M, and Rajapaksha A, & Semelka, et al. (2015) Focal liver lesions: Practical magnetic resonance imaging approach. World J Hepatol. 7: 1987-8

The diagnostic value of miR-21 combined with CT in patients with liver cancer.

To explore the diagnostic value of miR-21 combined with computed tomography (CT) in patients with liver cancer. A total of 112 patients in our hospital were confirmed liver cancer by examination, and were collected as cancer group. Another 100 patients with hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia in the same period were collected as control group. The diagnostic value of miR-21 and CT on liver cancer was observed. The level of miR-21 in cancer group was significantly higher than that in control group, the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level was tested. It was found that the AFP level in cancer group was significantly higher than that in control group (p < 0.001). The correlation between AFP and miR-21 levels in liver cancer patients was detected. It turned out that AFP and miR-21 had correlation. According to receiver operating curve (ROC) calculation results, the best cut-off value for miR-21 diagnosis was 4.142. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of diagnosis of miR-21 alone were 64.29%, 87.00% and 75.00%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of diagnosis of CT alone were 91.07%, 62.00% and 77.36%, respectively. There were 108 cases of true positive and 80 cases of true negative after combined diagnosis in the two groups. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of combined diagnosis were 96.43%, 80.00% and 88.68%, respectively. Comparing the value of single diagnosis and combined diagnosis, we found that the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of combined diagnosis were significantly higher than that of single diagnosis (p < 0.05). CT combined with miR-21 has great diagnostic value in liver cancer and may be a potential diagnostic indicator for liver cancer.

A Giant Hepatic Focal Nodular Hyperplasia That Occurred in a 14-Year-Old Girl With Ulcerative Colitis

A Giant Hepatic Focal Nodular Hyperplasia That Occurred in a 14-Year-Old Girl With Ulcerative Colitis

2226 Hot Spot Sign on Tc-99m DISIDA Nuclear Hepatobiliary Scan

INTRODUCTION: Hepatic Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) can be an unusual cause of abdominal pain. Prior to the advent of readily accessible diagnostic imaging techniques, patients with FNH primarily presented with vague symptoms of abdominal pain, then proceeded to imaging, which led to diagnosis. Today, most cases are found incidentally on imaging, in often asymptomatic patients. Here, we present a patient with significant symptoms in whom an identified FNH was considered inconsequential, but is eventually proven otherwise. CASE DESCRIPTION/METHODS: A previously healthy 31-year-old male presented with a one-month history of persistent postprandial right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Ultrasound showed cholelithiasis. MRI revealed FNH of the anteroinferior subsegment of the liver. Tc-99m DISIDA Cholescintigraphy showed a normal functioning gallbladder, but an abnormal delayed clearance of tracer from a focal area in inferior tip of the liver, corresponding to the FNH seen on MRI, consistent with a “hot spot sign”. Due to suspicion for symptomatic cholelithiasis, he underwent elective cholecystectomy. Symptoms persisted post-op, thus, his pain was thought to be from symptomatic FNH. After subsequent elective FNH resection, symptoms subsided. DISCUSSION: While cholescintigraphy typically evaluates for biliary tree dysfunction, it can also reveal abnormality in hepatic parenchymal tissue. Previously, Tc-99m Sulfur Colloid Liver-Spleen scans were used for diagnosis of FNH. However, the “hot spot sign” on cholescintigraphy has also been described as diagnostic for FNH. This case illustrates that a focal area of delayed tracer washout, or “hot spot”, can also be seen with Tc-99m DISIDA. Although the significance of delayed tracer washout is unclear, this finding suggests liver parenchyma’s inability to effectively clear bile from an FNH. This inability to adequately clear bile, may result in pain. The severity of impaired clearance may even correlate with the severity of symptoms. Although further investigation is necessary, cholescintigraphy may prove a useful tool in functional imaging for differentiating between symptomatic and asymptomatic FNH.

Long-term health status of high-risk neuroblastoma survivors treated with high-dose chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

10054 Background: Current treatment strategies including high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation rescue (HDC-SCT) have improved 5-year event-free survival for high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB) patients, but with an increased risk of late treatment-related toxicities. Methods: Between 1980 and 2012, 439 children were treated for HRNB with HDC-SCT in Gustave Roussy (GR), among which 145 were alive and disease-free at 5-year post-SCT. Long-term health data have been collected for those 145 patients, prospectively within the long-term follow-up clinic in GR or retrospectively from pediatric consultations. Results: With a median follow-up post-SCT of 15 years (range 5-34), we observed 6 late relapses, 11 second cancers (including 3 papillary thyroid carcinomas; median delay = 20 years post-SCT [18-22]) and 9 deaths. Event-free and overall survival at 20-year post-SCT were 82% (95%CI = 70–90) and 89% (95%CI = 78–95), respectively. A second health event was observed in 135 patients (median = 3/patient), including 103 patients with at least 1 severe event (median = 1/patient). Cumulative incidence at 15-year post-SCT for second cancers is 4%, cardiac diseases 8%, thyroid 11%, renal 7%, hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia 14%, dental mal-development 70%, and severe hearing loss 20%. Height-for-age z-score was ≤-2 for 30 patients (21%) and ≤-3 for 12 patients (8%). After Busulfan-Melphalan conditioning regimen, 40/43 females and 33/35 males had a gonadal insufficiency. Conclusions: Long-term consequences of HRNB treatment including HDC are frequent and disabling, mainly due to hearing loss and gonadal insufficiency.

Identification of key challenges in liver pathology: data from a multicenter study of extramural consults

Extramural consultation for challenging pathology cases is an important part of patient care. The specific reasons why liver cases are submitted in consultation are poorly understood. To study patterns in extramural consultation, data were gathered from 1360 liver/GI/pancreatobiliary consults submitted to 7 academic centers. Liver cases comprised 40% of consults and are the focus of this paper. They were submitted for questions on medical (61%) and tumor pathology (39%). A preliminary diagnosis was provided by the referring pathologist in 65% of cases. The most common questions in medical liver pathology were on general classification of a hepatitic pattern of injury (37%), primary biliary cirrhosis (14%), fatty liver disease (13%), autoimmune hepatitis (12%), and etiology of cirrhosis (10%). Most tumor consults were submitted for classification (83%). The most common final tumor consultant diagnoses for benign tumors were hepatic adenoma or focal nodular hyperplasia (52%) and for malignant tumors were metastatic malignancies (47%), hepatocellular carcinoma (32%), or cholangiocarcinoma (8%). For cases submitted with a diagnosis of malignancy, the diagnosis was concordant (43% of cases), concordant but with a generic diagnosis for which a more specific diagnosis could be rendered (37%), or discordant with a major change in diagnosis from malignant to benign or change in tumor type (17%). In conclusion, analysis of consult patterns identifies challenging areas in medical and tumor liver pathology, areas that benefit from consult services and can be focused on by continuing medical educational activities.

Application of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging in laparoscopic liver surgery

Objective To study the clinical use of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging in laparoscopic liver surgery. Methods The clinical and pathological data of 68 patients who underwent la-paroscopic hepatectomy using the ICG fluorescence imaging technique during the study period from September 2016 to October 2018 in Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University were retrospectively analyzed. Analysis was carried out on the surgical methods, fluorescence navigation methods, ICG injection time and dose, tumor characteristics, and pathological studies of the resected specimens. Results Of 68 patients, 3 patients were converted to open surgery, and the remaining 65 patients completed the ICG fluorescence laparoscopic hepatectomy. Thirty-two of these 65 patients underwent ICG fluorescent guided laparoscopic anatomical resection of lower hepatic segment / hepatic hemilivers (positive staining in 17 patients, negative staining in 15 patients), with 19 patients successfully staining with ICG(19 / 32, 59.4%). Postoperative histopathology showed primary hepatic solid tumors (n=31), secondary liver tumors (n=12), hepatic cysts (n=4), hepatic hemangiomas (n=5), hepatolithiasis (n=12) and hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia (n=1). These lesions were combined with hepatitis B liver fibrosis in 29 patients. Conclusions ICG fluorescence imaging positively impacted on laparoscopic liver surgery. Proper preoperative ICG injection was helpful for the identification, localization and intraoperative surgical guidance of tumors, especially for patients with deep-seated and central tumors. As a consequence, oncological and surgical safety of laparoscopic liver surgery was improved. Targeted visualization of liver segments and surgical navigation using intraoperative ICG injections facilitated accurate and precise resection of anatomical liver segments or hemi-hepatectomies. The use of intraoperative ICG fluorescence technology for hepatic hemangioma, hepatic cyst, intrahepatic bile duct stones and other benign liver lesions, helped to improve safety of surgery. Key words: Liver neoplasm; Laparoscopes; Indocyanine green; Fluorescence imaging; Hepatectomy

Laparoscopic spleen-preserving “tail-only” pancreatectomy for a left-sided neuroendocrine tumor

Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET) have been increasingly diagnosed lately due to imaging refinements. Resection of pNET is often carried out in young patients, hence, a mini-invasive approach is desirable to limit perioperative morbidities, while spleen preservation avoids lifelong risk of severe infections and overwhelming post-splenectomy sepsis. This video describes our laparoscopic technique for limited pancreatic tail resection with preservation of splenic vessels(LTPSP). Methods: A 55 year-old obese female (BMI 37.6) was referred to our clinic after discovering a mass in the pancreatic tail by a CT scan, performed for a suspicious hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia. Work-up was completed with an abdominal MRI and a 68Ga-labeled somatostatin analogue PET/CT, confirming the neuroendocrine nature of the lesion. Results: The video exhibits patient position and trocars placement followed by a thorough description of the technical aspects of LTPSP. It focuses on the “tail to body” dissection which spares distal splenic vessels and ensures satisfactory free margins. Patient postoperative course was uneventful, length of stay was 5 days. Pathology was compatible with a G1 pNET with clean resection margins. Conclusion: Mini-invasive parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy appears a safe alternative to more extensive resections for benign and low-grade malignancies of the tail. Our “tail to body” approach allows a limited distal resection, ensuring oncological free margins while preserving splenic vessels.

The "spoke wheel" sign in hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia.

The "spoke wheel" sign in hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia.

Enhancement characteristics of liver focal nodular hyperplasia (less than 3 cm) by contrast-enhanced ultrasound

Objective To analyze the typical contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) enhancement characteristics of hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) within 3 cm, and to discuss the diagnostic value of CEUS in small FNH lesions. Methods Forty-eight cases of FNH were retrospectively studied. All lesions were confirmed histopathologically after surgical resection. CEUS examinations with SonoVue were performed to characterize the enhancement patterns of lesions in 5 minutes. The whole wash in and wash out enhancement procedure of lesions were recorded and analyzed. Results All FNH lesions displayed a rapid hyper-enhancement in arterial phase by CEUS, 39 lesions of which showed spring-like enhancement; 8 lesions showed spoke-like enhancement; 1 lesion showed dendritic enhancement. 6.3%(3/48) of the lesions showed central scar, and feeding arteries was found in 52.1%(25/48) lesions. According to echogenicity shift of the lesions in various phases, 20.8%(10/48) FNH showed fast-in and slow-out , 64.6%(31/48) showed fast-in and synchronous-out , and 14.6%(7/48) showed fast-in and fast-out . According to fast-in and synchronous-out or fast-in and slow-out by CEUS, the accuracy rate of benignity reached 85.4%(41/48). According to any of the spring-like enhancement, spoke-like enhancement, central scars or feeding arteries, the accuracy rate of diagnosis of FNH within 3 cm reached 97.9%(47/48), and 81.3%(39/48) of which were diagnosed through spring-like enhancement. Conclusions CEUS is helpful in diagnosis of FNH within 3 cm by showing various characteristic enhancement patterns, and spring-like enhancement is the most important sign in diagnosis of FNH less than 3 cm. CEUS has high diagnostic value for FNH less than 3 cm. Key words: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Liver focal nodular hyperplasia; Enhancement pattern