Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Improved detection and characterization can help determine which hepatic tumors may be amenable to aggressive surgical techniques and which should undergo palliative treatment. The present study was aimed at studying CT scan imaging findings in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Material and Methods: The present study was an observational study conducted in patients with HCC diagnosed on biopsy at Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Pondicherry from January 2021 to December 2022. Results: In the present study, 50 confirmed cases of HCC were studied. The majority were from the 60–69 year age group (42%) and the 70–79 year age group (22%). A majority of them were male (82%). The common associations noted were hepatitis B (38%), alcohol (32%) and hepatitis C (8%). The common CT findings were arterial phase hyperenhancement (92%), portal venous phase washout (92%), intrahepatic arterioportal shunt (42%), portal vein thrombosis (42%), internal cystic degeneration of the HCC (28%), liver metastasis (26%), distant metastasis (18%), arterial and portal venous phase enhancement (14%), inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis (14%), hepatic vein thrombosis (10%), delayed venous washout (8%), isolated portal phase enhancement (6%), internal tumor aneurysm (4%) and intrahepatic arteriovenous shunt (4%). Conclusion: The radiological hallmark of HCC on CT was hyperenhancement on the arterial phase and washout on the portal venous phase.

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