Relationship between flash echo gray scale imaging features and pathologic findings in hepatic adenoma

Hepatic adenoma is a rare solid liver lesion consisting of normal hepatocytes in cords or sheets without portal tracts and bile ducts. Because the potential for malignant transformation and risk of hemorrhage is substantial, it is important to differentiate this lesion from other hepatic tumors such as hepatocellular carcinoma, focal nodular hyperplasia, and hemangioma.(1) A number of imaging modalities are used for the diagnosis of hepatic adenoma.(2-4) To the best our knowledge, however, no report has characterized the pathologic features of hepatic adenoma with the use of flash echo imaging (FEI)(1) of the newly developed interval delay, contrast-enhanced, secondary-harmonic sonographic types.