Panol C. Ram

CT appearance of abdominal thorotrast deposition and thorotrast-induced angiosarcoma of the liver

Although the clinical and radiographic manifestations of Thorotrast and its complications have been described, the computed tomographic (CT) appearance of Thorotrast deposition in the abdomen is less well known. Thorotrast produces a characteristic opacification of the liver, spleen, and abdominal lymph nodes. We report two cases of patients with Thorotrast-induced angiosarcoma of the liver detected by CT. Computed tomography in both cases demonstrated space-occupying lesions in the liver, which were readily detectable because of distortion of the Thorotrast-produced opacification.

CT demonstration of subcutaneous venous collaterals.

Subcutaneous collateral veins were identified by computed tomography (CT) in 12 patients. These were seen as enhancing round or tubular structures surrounded by subcutaneous fat, and most were associated with occlusion of a major vein in the abdomen or thorax. The CT appearance of deep vein occlusions included an intraluminal thrombus with an enhancing rim, a mass replacing the nonvisualized vein and distortion of the vein by an adjacent mass. The subcutaneous fat was examined on the CT scans of 50 patients not suspected of having deep venous occlusions. The appearance of normal subcutaneous structures and the differential diagnosis are discussed.