Hepatic tumor angiography: a subject review.

The dual blood supply of the normal hepatic parenchyma and the single arterial supply of hepatic neoplasms are important factors in the interpretation of celiac and hepatic arteriograms. Depending on whether the hepatic artery, portal vein, or both are opacified, three types of hepatogram can occur: arterial, portal, or mixed. On the celiac arteriogram, the densely opacified hepatic parenchyma makes the less well opacified tumor appear relatively hypovascular; and conversely, on the hepatic arteriogram the nonopacified portal flow has a "wash-out" effect on the normal parenchyma so that the neoplasm remains hypervascular. Thus most hepatic neoplasms are hypervascular on the hepatic arteriogram, and conversion of a hypervascular tumor to a hypovascular one is indicative of its response to treatment.