Purpose: To assess the visualization of tumor vessels in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by power Doppler sonography.
Material and methods: We examined 40 patients with 47 HCC lesions by means of power Doppler sonography and compared its visualization of tumor vessels with those of color Doppler and angiography.
Results: In 38 (81%) of the 47 lesions, power Doppler sonography improved the visualization of tumor vessels compared with color Doppler sonography; in the remaining lesions no significant difference was noted. In lesions located within 7 cm in depth, there was no significant difference between power Doppler sonography and angiography. In 10 (83%) out of 12 small (< or = 2 cm in diameter) lesions and in 11 (85%) out of 13 hypovascular lesions, power Doppler sonography performed considerably better than angiography. In deeper-seated lesions, however, angiography was significantly superior to power Doppler sonography.
Conclusion: Power Doppler sonography is more sensitive in detecting the fine tumor vessels in most HCCs than color Doppler sonography. In addition, power Doppler sonography can replace angiography in evaluating tumor vascularity in HCCs except in lesions that are deep-seated or located near the heart. In these lesions, angiography can complement power Doppler sonography in demonstrating tumor vessels.