[Intratumoral LPD deposition within hepatocellular carcinoma without arterial tumor staining]

The dissociation of intratumoral LPD deposition and arterial tumor staining was investigated in 20 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) without arterial tumor staining. The intratumoral deposition of LPD injected from the hepatic artery was observed in nine cases of HCC and coincided with the decrease in tumor vascular bed evaluated by photomicroscopic study and arterial portography. LPD deposition was not observed within the 11 other tumors, which were diagnosed as well differentiated HCC. Infusion angiographic CT revealed that the arterial and portal vascular beds were separated from each other. Therefore, arterial tumor staining was insufficient for accurate evaluation of the tumor vascular bed. The vascular bed in cancerous and noncancerous tissue was accurately evaluated by the addition of the contrast enhancements from the hepatic artery and the portal vein.