The effect of atypical arterial vascularization of the liver on computed tomography signs of hemangiomas

Abstract

Introduction. The article describes the role of computed tomography in the diagnosis of hemangiomas in various types of hepatic arterial circulation. Aim. To determine the features of contrast enhancement of hemangiomas in multislice computed tomography with multiphase contrast enhancement in patients with abnormalities of the arterial supplement of the liver. Materials and methods. The results of 60 computed tomographic angiographies of patients with hemangiomas of various sizes (mean age of patients 59.2±12.3 years, the study included 34 (57 %) men, 26 (43 %) women) were analyzed. Results. The most common anatomical variants of the vasculature, concomitant anomalies of the arterial supply of other abdominal organs, as well as features of contrast enhancement of hemangiomas depending on their size are described. The analysis of vascular architectonics revealed that the first type of arterial supply according to Mitchels (p <0.05) ) is prevailed, however, 3 (3.3 %), 5 (3.3 %), 6 (6.6 %) types were also determined. Thus, a correlation analysis using Fisher’s exact test was not detected a significant correlation between the presence of hemangiomas in the liver parenchyma and the presence of aberrant (r=0.11, p=0.36) or replacement arterial vessels (r=0.14, p=0.35). At the same time, when visually assessing the contrast enhancement of hemangiomas in different phases of contrast enhancement, both in the presence of aberrant and replacing vessels and without them, the main radiation patterns of changing hemangiomas density remained unchanged. Conclusion. Based on the obtained data on the liver arterial system, the absence of a significant correlation between the type of arterial blood supply, the presence of an additional or replacement vessel, and the type of contrast enhancement of hemangiomas during multiphase computed tomography of the abdominal organs was demonstrated.