Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How triple-phase CT helps tell benign liver lumps from cancer in dogs
By Einwaller, Joy & Wennemuth, Jan·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2025·Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Germany·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Diagnostic Utility of Triple-Phase CT: Differentiating Benign Liver Lesions from Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with liver lesions underwent a special type of imaging called triple-phase CT to help determine if their lesions were benign or cancerous. The study found that liver tumors known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were larger and showed different patterns on the scans compared to benign lesions. Specifically, HCCs had a lower density on the scans and did not enhance as much as benign lesions. The researchers concluded that certain features from the CT scans, like size and enhancement patterns, can effectively predict whether a liver lesion is cancerous, which can help veterinarians make better treatment decisions.
People also search for: dog liver tumor symptoms · hepatocellular carcinoma in dogs · triple-phase CT for dog liver lesions
Abstract
This study aimed to identify triple-phase computed tomographic features that can predict the histotype of focal liver lesions in dogs. The analysis included dogs with histopathologically diagnosed nodular hyperplasia (NH, n = 3), hepatocellular adenoma (HCA, n = 32), or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n = 59). Consistent with previous studies (Kutara et al. 2014; Burti et al. 2021), significant differences were observed in maximum transverse diameter (p = .008) and enhancement patterns (p = .0031) among the lesion types. HCCs were significantly larger and exhibited heterogeneous enhancement compared with benign lesions. In the portal venous phase, benign lesions were significantly hyperattenuating (p < .001) with a mean HU of 175.3 (±38.8), while HCCs were significantly hypoattenuating (p < .001) with a mean HU of 123.9 (±28.8), relative to the surrounding liver parenchyma (mean HU 151.6 ± 17.7). In the delayed phase, benign lesions became isoattenuating (mean HU 117.2 ± 10.7) to the liver parenchyma (mean HU 122.6 ± 8.4), whereas HCCs remained hypoattenuating (mean HU 100.3 ± 12.7). A maximal transverse diameter greater than 9.8 cm (AUC = 0.73), a heterogeneous enhancement pattern in all three phases (AUC = 0.7), and a portal venous phase HU below 136 (AUC = 0.87) were significantly associated with HCC, achieving an accuracy of 89% and a positive predictive value of 91%. The study suggests that lesion HU in the portal venous phase, alongside lesion size and enhancement pattern, are strong predictors of HCC in dogs, with specific cutoff values serving as reliable indicators.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40665886/