Computer tomography and magnetic resonance image manifestations of primary hepatic neuroendocrine cell carcinomas

This study aims to investigate the manifestation of CT, MRI and dynamic enhanced scans for primary hepatic neuroendocrine cell carcinoma.

CT or MRI arterial and venous phase scan images of 19 cases of pathologically confirmed PHNEC were retrospectively analyzed.

14 cases (73.68%) with single lesion, 5 cases (26.3%) with multiple lesions, with an average diameter of 13.2 cm. Some 12 cases (63.16%) showed inhomogeneous enhancement, seven cases (36.8%) showed homogeneous enhancement, 13 cases (68.4%) demonstrated significant enhancement in the arterial phase, 13 cases (68.4%) had significantly enhanced portal venous phase including 7 cases (36.8 %) with portal venous phase density or signal above the arterial phase and 5 cases (26.3%) with the portal vein density or signal below the arterial phase. Seven cases (36.8%) had continued strengthened separate shadows in the center of the lesion. Thrombosis were not seen in portal veins.

CT and MRI images of liver cell neuroendocrine carcinoma have certain characteristics that can provide valuable information for diagnosis and differential diagnosis.