Comparison of sonography, computed tomography, angiography, and percutaneous transhepatic portography in detection of portal tumor thrombus in hepatoma

Abstract We operated on 108 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma between July 1980 and July 1985. Eighteen (16.7%) had a tumor thrombus in the portal branch. The sensitivity of detection of these thrombi was 11.1% (2/18) by computed tomography, 22.2% (4/18) by transarterial portography, 50% (9/18) by sonography, and 70.6% (12/17) by percutaneous transhepatic portography. The outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma in the patients with such a tumor thrombus was poor. We think that percutaneous transhepatic portography should be done before operating for hepatocellular carcinoma to see if there is a tumor thrombus in the portal branch.