CT and MRI of Hepatic Contour Abnormalities

Assessment of Hepatic Function with Gd-EOB-DTPA-Enhanced Hepatic MRI

“…For instance, regional variations in hepatic parenchymal tissue composition and nodularity can be readily depicted on hepatic magnetic resonance (MR) images [12,13]. In addition, studies have reported the appropriate characterization of hepatic parenchymal properties using functional MR techniques including MR spectroscopy [14,15], MR elastography [16], diffusion-weighted imaging [17], MR relaxometry [18], and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI [19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43].…”

Frequency and Histopathologic Basis of Hepatic Surface Nodularity in Patients with Fulminant Hepatic Failure

“…Finally, our study extends the known causes of hepatic surface nodularity (8) to include regenerative nodules in fulminant hepatic failure. In this setting, surface nodularity appears to result from a combination of necrosis causing collapse or indrawing of the surface, with intervening confluent regenerative nodules causing expansion or bulging of the contour.…”

“…For example, many of the causes result in focal or relatively coarse nodularity. These include capsular retraction or atrophy associated with cholangiocarcinoma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, or posttreatment changes such as indentations after resection or ablation or pseudocirrhosis of treated breast cancer metastases (8,12). In contrast, the nodularity associated with fulminant hepatic failure appears characteristically fine and diffuse, which is to be expected, given its histopathologic basis.…”

“…Hepatic surface nodularity is usually considered a relatively specific imaging sign of cirrhosis (5-7), although other causes of hepatic contour abnormalities are recognized (8). However, to our knowledge, the value of surface nodularity as a sign of cirrhosis in patients with fulminant hepatic failure has not been specifically reported.…”

Computer-aided assessment of hepatic contour abnormalities as an imaging biomarker for the prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma development in patients with chronic hepatitis C

“…However, a variety of other hepatic pathologies may cause hepatic contour abnormality: Lipson et al [28] report that hepatic contour abnormalities are often seen on CT or MR imaging, and that intrinsic disorders of the liver that might cause contour abnormalities consist of hepatic tumors, cirrhosis and confluent hepatic fibrosis, infarction and vascular occlusion, treatment change, and perihepatic diseases. Further study is necessary to assess the relationship between HFI and the other disease conditions that possibly cause hepatic contour abnormalities.…”