RBC Liver Flashcards
purpose(s) of RBC liver
- detect and localize hepatic hemangioma
- determine benign vs. malignant liver lesions
what’s a hemangioma?
most common benign liver tumour
giant cavernous hemangiomas
hemangiomas larger than 4 cm
positioning for RBC liver
sternal notch at top of FOV with bottom of rib cage
are hemangiomas more common in men or women?
women
symptoms of hemangiomas
often asymptomatic
sometimes have abdominal discomfort or nausea
patient prep
no specific prep
imaging protocol
- flow
- immediate statics (within 30 mins of injection)
- delayed imaging
what do hemangiomas look like on FLOW images?
usually normal
what do hemangiomas look like on BLOOD POOL images?
usually decreased activity in area of the hemangioma in comparison to the liver
sometimes increased uptake if it equilibrates fast
what do hemangiomas look like on DELAY images?
increased uptake compared to the liver but equal intensity to heart and spleen
if cold spots are seen with hot hemangioma, what are those usually caused by?
thrombosis, necrosis, and fibrosis
how are hemangiomas differentiated from blood vessels and vascular hepatic tumours?
hemangiomas = gradual increased in activity over time
false negatives
- extensive thrombosis and/or fibrosis
- small lesions
- hemangiomas adjacent to organs with intense RBC uptake
false positives
- large hepatocellular carcinoma (RARE)
- angiosarcomas
- METs
- hepatic lymphoma
