Infantile hepatic hemangioma: Doppler US

Abstract

The duplex Doppler ultrasound (US) characteristics of 13 infantile hepatic hemangiomas were reviewed to assess the utility of these characteristics in diagnosis and follow-up. Clinical correlation was available for all children, with a histologic diagnosis established in three. A variety of tumoral flow patterns were demonstrated, including arterial and venous signals with high-frequency shifts, arteries with little systolic-diastolic flow variation, and low-frequency arterial and venous signals. Follow-up studies in 12 infants documented slower flow within the tumors; one child underwent immediate surgery without follow-up examination. The Doppler US characteristics of infantile liver hemangiomas are variable and overlap with those described in the literature for malignant tumors. Doppler US is most useful in follow-up by allowing monitoring of changes in flow within tumors after therapeutic embolization or conservative management.