CT- and ultrasound-characteristics of hepatic lesions in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome. A retrospective image review of 25 cases

INTRODUCTION: Liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumors in multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome are common (75%) and significantly impairs the prognosis. Characterisation of liver lesions in these patients is challenging, as liver metastases are difficult to differentiate from benign liver lesions such as haemangioma. METHODS: In this study we aimed to characterize the radiological findings of hepatic metastases in MEN patients. The findings of contrast-enhanced CT were considered for the main diagnosis. We retrospectively evaluated 25 patients with MEN-syndrome (10 MEN1/ 15 MEN2) including 11 men and 14 women between 28–62 years of age. RESULTS: Liver metastases (48%, 12/25) and hemangioma (40%, 10/25) were the most common liver lesions among our patients. The most common primary tumors in our MEN1 and MEN2 patients with liver metastases were of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (70%, 7/10) und medullary thyroid carcinoma (100%, 15/15) origin, respectively. CT-characteristics were grouped into three main categories, depending on contrast dynamics. The majority of hepatic metastases (75%, 14/25) are presented as multiple lesions with a slow growth in an average 5 years of follow-up-period. We were able to find a common CT pattern and categorise these for each MEN-syndrome. Hepatic metastases in MEN1 presented commonly a blurred arterial enhancement with a low portal venous enhancement and less frequently a prominent enhancement in the arterial phase, which mimics the classical haemangioma. In MEN2 the liver metastases exhibited disseminated mixed hyper- and hypo-enhanced lesions in CT-scans. Moreover, lesion calcifications are pathognomonic in MEN2. The main limitation of this study is the missing histopathological confirmation in the majority of cases. CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective imaging study, we were able to categorise and find a common CT pattern for hepatic lesions in patients with MEN-syndrome. In order to differentiate these lesions sufficiently, a combination of a 3-phasic CT-scan with US is required. Other liver specific imaging modalities (MRI, CEUS, SMS-PET/CT) should complement the diagnosis in individual cases.