ABSTRACT
I n some patients with cirrhosis hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops by a stepwise process of de-differentiation from benign regenerative nodules to malignant HCC. The nomenclature of nodules in the cirrhotic liver has been confusing, but the
older terms of “adenomatous hyperplasia,” “macroregenerative nodule,” and “adenomatous hyperplasia with atypia” have been superseded by the single category of dyplastic or borderline nodule. A major objective of imaging is to detect the presence of malignant change in the cirrhotic liver, and to determine what interventional treatments are feasible: assessing the resectability of tumors or their suitability for percutaneous ablation or chemoembolization, and exploring the vascular anatomy of the liver as a prelude to liver transplantation.
