Abstract
Unique among solid organ tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), may be diagnosed by imaging alone, without the need for biopsy. The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) was developed to provide high-specificity diagnosis of HCC based on imaging while also standardizing the assessment and reporting of the entire spectrum of lesions and pseudolesions encountered in patients at risk for this malignancy. In this pictorial review, we discuss management recommendations associated with CT/MR LI-RADS observations. We emphasize the rationale for the recommendations and the role of multidisciplinary management discussion, and we provide a framework for standardized reporting. Management of patients who undergo ultrasound (US) for screening and surveillance or those who undergo diagnostic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is beyond the scope of this paper.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Mittal S, El-Serag HB. Epidemiology of HCC: Consider the Population. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2013;47(0):S2-S6. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCG.0b013e3182872f29
CDC-Liver Cancer. February 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/liver/index.htm. Accessed April 17, 2018.
Chou R, Cuevas C, Fu R, et al. Imaging Techniques for the Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(10):697. https://doi.org/10.7326/M14-2509
Chou R, Cuevas C, Fu R, et al. Imaging Techniques for the Diagnosis and Staging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2014. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK254191/. Accessed June 26, 2018.
Hanna RF, Miloushev VZ, Tang A, et al. Comparative 13-year meta-analysis of the sensitivity and positive predictive value of ultrasound, CT, and MRI for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma. Abdom Radiol N Y. 2016;41(1):71-90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-015-0592-8
Elsayes KM, Hooker JC, Agrons MM, et al. 2017 Version of LI-RADS for CT and MR Imaging: An Update. RadioGraphics. 2017;37(7):1994-2017. https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.2017170098
Marrero JA, Kulik LM, Sirlin C, et al. Diagnosis, Staging and Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: 2018 Practice Guidance by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Hepatology. April 2018. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.29913
LI-RADS. https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Reporting-and-Data-Systems/LI-RADS. Accessed June 26, 2018.
Kambadakone AR, Fung A, Gupta RT, et al. LI-RADS technical requirements for CT, MRI, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Abdom Radiol N Y. 2018;43(1):56-74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-017-1325-y
Kielar A, Fowler KJ, Lewis S, et al. Locoregional therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma and the new LI-RADS treatment response algorithm. Abdom Radiol N Y. 2018;43(1):218-230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-017-1281-6
Schwartz LH, Panicek DM, Berk AR, Li Y, Hricak H. Improving communication of diagnostic radiology findings through structured reporting. Radiology. 2011;260(1):174-181. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.11101913
Marcovici PA, Taylor GA. Journal Club: Structured radiology reports are more complete and more effective than unstructured reports. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2014;203(6):1265-1271. https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.14.12636
Larson DB, Towbin AJ, Pryor RM, Donnelly LF. Improving consistency in radiology reporting through the use of department-wide standardized structured reporting. Radiology. 2013;267(1):240-250. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.12121502
Powell DK, Silberzweig JE. State of structured reporting in radiology, a survey. Acad Radiol. 2015;22(2):226-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2014.08.014
Flusberg M, Ganeles J, Ekinci T, et al. Impact of a Structured Report Template on the Quality of CT and MRI Reports for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis. J Am Coll Radiol JACR. 2017;14(9):1206-1211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2017.02.050
ACR LI-RADS. https://cortex.acr.org/RadsPreview/CaseView.aspx?CaseId=Y9JbzYund5s%3D. Accessed September 29, 2018.
Chernyak V, Fowler KJ, Kamaya A, et al. Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) Version 2018: Imaging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in At-Risk Patients. Radiology. September 2018:181494. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2018181494
Fraum TJ, Tsai R, Rohe E, et al. Differentiation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma from Other Hepatic Malignancies in Patients at Risk: Diagnostic Performance of the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System Version 2014. Radiology. 2017;286(1):158-172. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2017170114
Ronot M, Fouque O, Esvan M, Lebigot J, Aubé C, Vilgrain V. Comparison of the accuracy of AASLD and LI-RADS criteria for the non-invasive diagnosis of HCC smaller than 3cm. J Hepatol. 2018;68(4):715-723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2017.12.014
Sherman CB. Utilization and Accuracy of Biopsy in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Community based Setting. https://clinmedjournals.org/articles/jcgt/journal-of-clinical-gastroenterology-and-treatment-jcgt-2-026.php?jid=jcgt. Accessed August 12, 2018.
Forner A, Vilana R, Ayuso C, et al. Diagnosis of hepatic nodules 20 mm or smaller in cirrhosis: Prospective validation of the noninvasive diagnostic criteria for hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology. 2008;47(1):97-104. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.21966
Song P, Cai Y, Tang H, Li C, Huang J. The clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide: A concise review and comparison of current guidelines from 2001 to 2017. Biosci Trends. 2017;11(4):389-398. https://doi.org/10.5582/bst.2017.01202
Shukla A, Vadeyar H, Rela M, Shah S. Liver Transplantation: East versus West. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2013;3(3):243-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jceh.2013.08.004
Practice Parameters for Documentation and Reporting | American College of Radiology. https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Practice-Parameters-and-Technical-Standards/Practice-Parameters-for-Documentation-and-Reporting. Accessed August 12, 2018.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
CME activity
This article has been selected as the CME activity for the current month. Please visit https://ce.mayo.edu/node/81590 and follow the instructions to complete this CME activity.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kamath, A., Roudenko, A., Hecht, E. et al. CT/MR LI-RADS 2018: clinical implications and management recommendations. Abdom Radiol 44, 1306–1322 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-018-1868-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-018-1868-6