Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 11, Issue 12 639-645, Copyright © 1992 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Color Doppler imaging of inferior vena cava: identification of tumor thrombus
P. Hubsch, H. Schurawitzki, M. Susani, G. Theyer, O. Traindl, D. Polzleitner, S. Trattnig and V. Metz
Department of Radiology, Vienna University Hospital, Austria.
Color-coded Doppler sonography (CCDS) was used for the examination of tumor
thrombus (n = 7) and benign thrombosis (n = 6) of the inferior vena cava.
Tumor thrombus was due to hepatocellular carcinoma in two cases and to
renal cell carcinoma in five cases. Whereas no specific information about
the nature of thrombus formation could be gained by gray scale sonography,
a typical patchy vascularization pattern was noted within tumor thrombi in
six of seven cases using CCDS. This ws due to marked neovascularization
within the tumor thrombi, confirmed by histologic examination in all cases.
In one patient no vascularization within the tumor thrombus could be
observed by CCDS because the thrombus was relatively small. In patients
with bland thrombosis, either no vascularization of the thrombus was seen
(n = 5) or linear recanalization of the thrombus occurred (n = 1).
Therefore, it might be possible to differentiate tumor from nontumor
thrombus in the inferior vena cava by using CCDS. Further studies are
needed to confirm this preliminary hypothesis.
