Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: report of five cases

Results of computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography (US), angiography, and radionuclide imaging were analyzed in five cases of histologically proved hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE), a rare vascular tumor of adults that has a variable but often long clinical course. All patients received palliative treatment. CT and US were performed repeatedly over a period of up to 53 months. Initial radiologic examination showed two types of hepatic lesions: multiple nodules in both lobes (nodular lesions, n = 2) and large masses with or without calcifications that generally spread along the hepatic margins (diffuse lesions, n = 3). Nodular lesions may be an earlier form of hepatic EHE, as they later gradually changed into the diffuse type. Follow-up CT after treatment showed definite regression of tumors in two cases. In the differential diagnosis, the radiologic findings of diffuse lesions were considered to be specific to hepatic EHE, while those of nodular lesions were nonspecific.