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Purpose: The role of the portal system after hepatic artery embolization (HAE) was examined.Methods: Using a Wistar strain rat model of liver cirrhosis, the route and occurrence of portoarterial (PA) shunts before and after HAE by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and histologic methods were evaluated. HAE was performed with iodized oil and gelatin sponge particles.Results: In the SEM study, PA shunts did not develop in normal rats regardless of whether they did (n = 10) or did not have HAE (n = 5). The cirrhotic rat model showed PA shunts in both HAE (n = 5) and non-HAE (n = 5) animals. PA shunts were established via the peribiliary plexus and direct arterioportal anastomosis. In the histologic study, the occurrence of PA shunts in liver cirrhosis was significantly increased by HAE (HAE = 6, non-HAE = 6, p < 0.01).Conclusion: The development of PA shunts, which help perfuse liver parenchyma, may explain why HAE can be safely performed in patients with liver cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aberrant gastric venous drainage (AGVD) into the posterior edge of the medial segment of the liver (segment IV) is the main cause of pseudolesion on computed tomography (CT) during arterial portography. We estimated the prevalence of AGVD into the medial segment of the liver with color and power Doppler ultrasound (US).Methods: Screening gray-scale and color Doppler and power Doppler US were performed in 100 consecutive patients. AGVD was defined as a venous structure that ascended parallel to the main portal vein and drained independently into segment IV.Results: AGVDs were observed in eight of 100 patients (8%) with color and power Doppler US. Power Doppler US depicted these veins more clearly than did color Doppler US. Gray-scale US did not show any AGVDs. Two of eight patients with AGVDs detected by color Doppler US underwent celiac arteriography and CT during arterial portography (CTAP). In these two patients, celiac arteriography directly demonstrated AGVDs draining into segment IV, which revealed nontumorous perfusion defects (pseudolesions) on CTAP.Conclusion: Color and power Doppler US are useful imaging methods for demonstrating AGVDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The yips is a coordination impairment partly attributed to task-specific dystonia in athletes. While previous research focused on comparisons between control and yips groups, this study aimed to highlight interindividual differences in the yips symptoms of two baseball players with distinct dystonic movements through electromyographic and kinematic analysis. Twelve male college baseball players with two exhibiting throwing yips symptoms participated in this study. A three-dimensional motion capture system was used to analyze the kinematic features of throwing motion. Electromyographic data was recorded from the throwing upper limb. Case 1 showed markedly greater elbow flexion before ball release than the control baseball players, likely due to excessive and delayed muscle contraction of the biceps brachii. Case 2 showed intermittent activity of the middle deltoid muscle impacting shoulder abduction movement, resulting in action tremor of the upper limb. This study revealed two distinct types of dystonic movements in baseball players with throwing yips: excessive joint motion, which may be caused by impaired timing and amount of muscle activity, and action tremor, associated with intermittent muscle activity. These findings underscore the importance of individualized kinematic and electromyographic analysis to understand and treat yips symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Toshiyuki Aoyama reports financial support was provided by JSPS. Yutaka Kohno reports financial support was provided by Subsidy for Science and Technology Promotion of Prefecture Locating Electric Power Plant. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

"Yips" are involuntary movements that interfere with the automatic execution of sports movements. However, how the coordination among the various muscles necessary for sports movements is impaired in athletes with yips remains to be fully understood. This study aimed to assess whether muscle synergy analysis through non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) could identify impaired spatiotemporal muscle coordination in baseball players with throwing yips. Twenty-two college baseball players, including 12 with and 10 without yips symptoms participated in the study. Electromyographic activity was recorded from 13 ipsilateral upper extremity muscles during full-effort throwing. Muscle synergies were extracted through NMF. Cluster analysis was conducted to identify any common spatiotemporal patterns of muscle synergies in players with yips. Whether individual players with yips showed deviations in spatiotemporal patterns of muscle synergies compared with control players was also investigated. Four muscle synergies were extracted for each player, but none were specific to the yips group. However, a more detailed analysis of individual players revealed that two of the three players who presented dystonic symptoms during the experiment exhibited specific patterns that differed from those in control players. By contrast, each player whose symptoms were not reproduced during the experiment presented spatiotemporal patterns of muscle synergies similar to those of the control group. The results of this study indicate no common spatiotemporal pattern of muscle synergies specific to the yips group. Furthermore, these results suggest that the spatiotemporal pattern of muscle synergies in baseball throwing motion is not impaired in situations where symptoms are not reproduced even if the players have yips symptoms. However, muscle synergy analysis can identify the characteristics of muscle coordination of players who exhibit dystonic movements. These findings can be useful in developing personalized therapeutic strategies based on individual characteristics of yips symptoms., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

An advanced technique for multiple breath-hold volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) has been proposed under fluoroscopic image guidance with a fiducial marker implanted close to a tumor. The marker coordinates on a digitally reconstructed radiography image at a gantry start angle, under a planned breath-hold condition, were transferred to the fluoroscopic image window. Then, a reference lateral line passing through the planned breath-hold marker position was drawn on the fluoroscopic image. Additional lateral lines were further added on both sides of the reference line with a distance of 3 mm as a tolerance limit for the breath-hold beam delivery. Subsequently, the patient was asked to breathe in slowly under fluoroscopy. Immediately after the marker position on the fluoroscopic image moved inside the tolerance range, the patient was asked to hold the breath and the VMAT beam was delivered. During the beam delivery, the breath-hold status was continuously monitored by checking if the deviation of the marker position exceeded the tolerance limit. As long as the marker stayed within the tolerance range, a segmented VMAT delivery continued for a preset period of 15 to 30 seconds depending on the breath-hold capability of each patient. As soon as each segmented delivery was completed, the beam interrupt button was pushed; subsequently, the patient was asked for free breathing. This procedure was repeated until all the segmented VMAT beams were delivered. A lung tumor case is reported here as an initial study. The proposed technique may be clinically advantageous for treating respiratory moving tumors including lung tumor, liver cancer, and other abdominal cancers., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The clinical efficacy of MET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MET-TKIs) is hindered by the emergence of acquired resistance, presenting an obstacle to drug discovery. To clarify the mechanisms underlying acquired resistance to MET-TKIs, we established resistance models by continuous exposure of the MET-amplified gastric cancer cell line MKN45 to MET-TKIs, PHA665752 (MKN45-PR) and GSK1363089 (MKN45-GR). Baseline expression and phosphorylation of MET were elevated in MKN45-PR and MKN45-GR compared to MKN45 cells, and higher concentrations of MET-TKIs were required to inhibit MET phosphorylation compared to parental cells. Alterations in MET previously associated with resistance to MET-TKIs were observed in resistant cells, including elevated MET copy number, observed in both resistant lines compared to MKN45 cells, and the Y1230H mutation, detected in MKN45-PR cells. Notably, the growth of resistant lines was lower in the absence of MET-TKIs, suggesting "addiction" to inhibitors. While MKN45-PR cells exhibited a higher S-phase fraction in the absence of PHA665752, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) uptake was identical. Baseline phosphorylation of ATR, Chk1 and p53 and p21(waf1/Cip1) expression was higher in MKN45-PR compared to MKN45 cells, and levels were reduced to those observed in untreated MKN45 cells following PHA665752 treatment. Furthermore, targeted knockdown of MET enhanced the growth of MKN45-PR cells. These findings suggest that alterations in MET leading to acquired MET-TKI resistance, may cause excessive MET signaling, subsequent replication stress and DNA damage response, and intra-S-phase arrest in the absence of MET-TKIs. Thus, partial MET inhibition is necessary for resistant cells to proliferate, a phenomenon we refer to as MET-TKI "addiction".

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been widely used for prophylaxis against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). However, no clear advantage over methotrexate has been reported, other than reduced incidence of mucositis. We speculated that the wide inter-individual variation of plasma mycophenolic acid (MPA) levels veiled the benefits of MMF. Data from 36 unrelated allogeneic bone marrow (allo-BMT) and cord blood transplantation (CBT) were analyzed retrospectively based on MPA area under the curve (AUC(0-24h)). In allo-BMT, high AUC(0-24h) (>30 μg h/ml) resulted in no incidence of grade II-IV acute/extensive chronic GVHD and tended to show higher overall and disease-free survival, lower relapse rates, and non-relapse mortality. In CBT, AUC(0-24h) less than 30 μg h/ml was sufficient for low incidence of acute/chronic GVHD and high survival. Strong correlation between AUC(0-24h) and C(2h), plasma MPA concentration at 2 h after administration was observed. Single point assessment of C(2h) was shown to provide a useful surrogate of AUC(0-24h) to predict GVHD incidence. The results of this study suggest that individualized MMF dosing in a donor source-dependent fashion may be important for maximizing the benefit of MMF in allo-SCT.

In allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT), most physicians in Japan utilize granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) at a high dose (HD) of 300 μg/m(2) per day for filgrastim to promote faster neutrophil engraftment. However, the necessity of the HD has not been validated under graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis by mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), which can also be expected to facilitate engraftment. In a total of 51 patients, we compared the clinical outcomes between a standard dose (SD) fixed at 300 μg per day and a HD of G-CSF. While time to neutrophil engraftment was not different in the HD and SD groups in patients receiving cord blood transplantation (CBT, 20 vs. 17.5 days, P = 0.243) or bone marrow transplantation (BMT, 11 vs. 10 days, P = 0.227), there seemed to be an increased risk of developing acute GVHD in the HD group with CBT (20 vs. 0%, P = 0.073) and BMT (57 vs. 24%, P = 0.165). Progression-free survival of patients in the HD group was likely to be worse compared with that of the SD group with CBT (P = 0.099). In this study, the clinical benefits of a HD of G-CSF could not be documented, and we find that the use of G-CSF at a SD after allo-SCT with MMF should be prospectively evaluated.

Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) are released from the bone marrow to the circulation by the cytokine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, via sympathetic nervous system (SNS)-mediated osteoblast suppression. Because the orientation of HSPCs in their osteoblastic niche is reported to be guided by [Ca(2+)], we speculated on a cooperation between the calcium-regulating hormones and SNS in the regulation of HSPC trafficking. Here, we present the severe impairment of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-induced osteoblast suppression and subsequent HSPC mobilization in vitamin D receptor (VDR)-deficient mice. In osteoblasts, functional VDR possessing, at least in part, a transcriptional activity, was specifically induced by β2-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonists. While β2-AR agonists transiently increased mRNA expression of Vdr and its downstream gene, Rankl, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D(3) sustained the β2-AR-induced Rankl expression at high level by stabilizing VDR protein. These data suggest that VDR is essential for durable β2-AR signaling in the stem cell niche. Our study demonstrates not only a novel function of VDR as a critical modulator of HSPC trafficking, but also the presence of a SNS-mediated, bone-remodeling mechanism through VDR. VDR contributes to brain-bone-blood integration in an unanticipated way distinct from other classical calcium-regulating hormones.

A 26-year-old woman, who successfully underwent umbilical cord blood transplantation for aplastic anemia 4 years previously, had suffered from hepatosplenic microabscesses caused by unidentifiable grocott stain-positive spores from immediately after the transplantation. At 51 months post-transplant, we attempted bone marrow biopsy from her posterior iliac crest, but failed to penetrate the cortical bone. X-ray of her spine and pelvis showed marked and diffuse osteosclerosis. Retrospective analysis of computed tomography revealed the gradual replacement of sternal, vertebral, and pelvic bone marrow with calcified tissues in addition to the dispersed calcification of the liver, spleen, and kidneys over the last 2 years. The bone mineral density of the lumbar spine had increased but not that of the femoral neck. Biomedical parameters for bone remodeling demonstrated enhanced bone formation as well as bone resorption and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Based on the past reports, we suggest that chronic fungal infection, which caused visceral calcification, induced the production of humoral factors for osteoblastic activation.

The outer-sphere one-electron oxidation reaction of the Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes of nonplanar 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin and planar porphycenes as well as those of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin and 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin by Cu(2+) giving corresponding pi-cation radicals was investigated spectrophotometrically in acetonitrile. The electron self-exchange rate constants between the parent porphyrin and porphycene complexes and their pi-cation radicals were determined using the Marcus cross relation for the electron transfer reaction. The obtained rate constants are in the order of 10(9) to 10(11) M(-1) s(-1) for the planar porphyrin and porphycene complexes and 10(4) to 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) for the nonplanar OETPP complexes at T = 25.0 degrees C. The relatively slow self-exchange reaction of the distorted porphyrin complexes, as compared with those for the planar porphyrin and porphycene complexes, was ascribed to the significant deformation of the complex associated with the oxidation reaction from the parent complex to the corresponding pi-cation radical.

Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is one of the life-threatening complications caused by endothelial damage to the hepatic sinusoids after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, a satisfactory treatment for SOS has not yet been established. Defibrotide has anti-thrombotic, anti-ischemic, anti-inflammatory, and thrombolytic properties without systemic anticoagulant effects. We treated eight post-transplant SOS patients with defibrotide. Three patients responded to the therapy and the initial response was observed within a week. In addition to the improvement of liver function, rapid recovery of response to diuretic drugs followed by the improvement of renal function was observed. All of the five patients with respiratory dysfunction died despite administration of defibrotide, suggesting that early treatment might lead to better outcomes. There were no severe adverse effects directly due to defibrotide administration. Defibrotide seems to be a promising treatment for SOS, and the initiation of a clinical study in Japan would be important.

For better clinical outcomes of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT), higher mycophenolic acid (MPA) plasma levels are proposed to be desirable. Here, we investigate the optimal MMF dosing strategy based on pharmacokinetic studies in 20 Japanese alloSCT patients. The first 11 patients received MMF twice daily at an escalated dose from 15 mg/kg, according to real-time pharmacokinetic monitoring of the total MPA area under the curve (AUC). In the subsequent nine patients, MMF was given at a fixed dose of 1,000 mg three-times daily. The pharmacokinetic data revealed that the dose escalation in each individual did not always increase the AUC. In contrast, the increase of dosing frequency could statistically keep higher MPA plasma levels, as reflected in higher concentration at steady state (C (ss)) or trough value (C (trough)). There was no symptomatic adverse event in both groups. These results suggest that MMF administration of every 8 h after alloSCT would be better to maintain higher MPA plasma levels than that of every 12 h even in the same daily dose. Further studies are necessary to confirm the clinical benefit of MMF to prevent graft failure, as well as severe aGVHD.

Reciprocal translocations involving the long arm of chromosome 7 are relatively rare cytogenetic aberrations in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). A 44-year-old woman was initially given a diagnosis of de novo AML M6A with a normal karyotype. After achieving complete remission, she received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from an unrelated male donor. Seven months later, pancytopenia appeared with 14.8% myeloblasts and dysplastic changes of neutrophils and megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. Chromosome analysis revealed complex karyotypes, with add(7)(q22) and add(9)(q34) detected in all abnormal metaphase spreads; spectral karyotyping revealed these chromosomal aberrations to be derived from a reciprocal translocation t(7;9)(q22;q34). Fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses showed that D7S486 at 7q31 was translocated to the der(9)t(7;9), and that the ABL gene at 9q34 remained on the der(9)t(7;9). Because the same translocation reappeared and sustained for more than 8 months after second stem cell transplantation, we revised the diagnosis as therapy-related MDS after allogeneic transplantation. The t(7;9)(q22;q34) was supposed to have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of MDS. Considering two other such reported cases of AML, the t(7;9)(q22;q34) may be a novel recurrent translocation in myeloid malignancies.

We present a case of asymptomatic bronchial artery aneurysm that formed a fistula with part of the pulmonary artery (there was no definite fistula with the pulmonary vein). We were able to catheterize the feeding vessel but could not reach the aneurysm. We therefore injected a mixture of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA; Histoacryl, B. Braun, Melsungen, Germany) and iodized oil (Lipiodol; Guerbet, Aulnay-sous-Bois, France) from the feeding vessel. The fistula, aneurysm, and feeding vessel were almost totally occluded. After embolization, the patient coughed a little; there were no other definite side effects or complications. One and 3 months later, on chest CT, the aneurysm was almost completely occupied with hyperattenuating NBCA-Lipiodol embolization. NBCA is a liquid embolization material whose time to coagulation after injection can be controlled by diluting it with Lipiodol. It is therefore possible to embolize an aneurysm, feeding vessels, and efferent vessels (in our case, it was a fistula) by using an NBCA-Lipiodol mixture of an appropriate concentration, regardless of whether the catheter can reach the aneurysm or not.

Severe acute liver dysfunction occurred following transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation in a patient with massive ascites due to portal hypertension associated with primary myelofibrosis. On US and TIPS venography, we considered that the acute liver ischemia was induced by TIPS. To avoid diffuse hepatic infarction and irreversible liver damage, a balloon catheter was inserted transjugularly into the TIPS tract and occluded it to increase portal venous flow toward the peripheral liver parenchyma. The laboratory data indicating hepatic dysfunction were improved after the procedure. We should pay attention to the possible occurrence of acute hepatic ischemia and infarction after TIPS creation even in a case of noncirrhotic portal hypertension. In such cases, temporary balloon occlusion of TIPS is an effective therapeutic method, probably as a result of inducing the development of arterial compensation through the peribiliary plexus.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to clarify the mechanism of peritumoral rim enhancement of metastatic liver cancer., Method: Twenty-nine liver metastases of colon cancer were examined by single-level dynamic CT during hepatic arteriography, which was performed without table feed. We analyzed these findings and correlated them with the histopathologic findings., Results: Eleven metastases were hypervascular and 18 were hypovascular. Early appearance of rim enhancement was seen in 3 of 10 hypervascular metastases and 17 of 18 hypovascular metastases (p < 0.01). The time of appearance and thickness of peritumoral rim enhancement showed no apparent correlation with the desmoplastic reaction or inflammation in the surrounding hepatic parenchyma., Conclusion: Two types of intra- and peritumoral enhancement were observed. Peritumoral rim enhancement was considered to be due mainly to the drainage of blood flow from the tumor to the surrounding hepatic parenchyma in hypervascular metastasis or increased arterioportal shunts surrounding the tumor in hypovascular metastasis.

Purpose: To analyze the correlation between intranodular blood supply of borderline lesions (ie, dysplastic nodules or hypovascular well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] nodules) and their progression to hypervascular classic HCC in cirrhotic livers., Materials and Methods: One hundred seventy-six borderline lesions seen at computed tomography (CT) during arterial portography (CTAP) and CT during hepatic arteriography (CTHA) were evaluated in 49 patients with cirrhosis who underwent repeated CTAP and/or CTHA but no therapy. On the basis of CTAP findings, nodules were categorized as group A (showing almost the same portal venous supply as the surrounding liver), group B (showing decreased portal venous supply) or group C (showing partially absent portal venous supply); on the basis of CTHA findings, nodules were categorized as group I (showing almost the same arterial supply as the liver), group II (showing decreased arterial supply), or group III (showing partially increased arterial supply)., Results: Progression to classic HCC was observed in 29.4% of group A nodules, 53.9% of group B nodules, and 87.9% of group C nodules within 1,000 days; in 58.6% of group I nodules, 12.9% of group II nodules, and 92.2% of group III nodules within 730 days; and in 0% of nodules in group A and I, 28% of nodules in group B and/or II, and 88.7% of nodules in group C and/or III within 730 days., Conclusion: Evaluation of intranodular blood supply was valuable in predicting the prognosis in borderline lesions, except when only arterial blood supply was evaluated.

Purpose: After transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) with iodized oil (Lipiodol), a relatively dense accumulation of Lipiodol is often seen in the nontumorous liver adjacent to a hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodule. We compared this phenomenon with the findings obtained with single-level dynamic CT during hepatic arteriography (SLDCTHA) and presumed its possible mechanism., Methods: Fifty-six patients with HCC underwent hepatic angiography including SLDCTHA followed by segmental or subsegmental TAE with a mixture of an anticancer drug and Lipiodol. We compared the drainage area of the HCC depicted on SLDCTHA with the Lipiodol accumulation in the nontumorous liver adjacent to the HCC on CT after TAE (LpCT)., Results: In 26 of the 56 patients, a definite corona enhancement around the HCC, suggesting the drainage of blood from the tumor into the surrounding liver parenchyma, was seen on the late phase of SLDCTHA. In 17 of these 26 patients (65.4%), LpCT showed a more intense accumulation of Lipiodol in the nontumorous liver adjacent to the HCC that corresponded to the drainage area revealed on SLDCTHA., Conclusion: The drainage of blood from the HCC was considered to be a possible mechanism of the accumulation of Lipiodol in the nontumorous liver adjacent to the HCC.

Purpose: To compare the appearance of small hepatic hemangiomas at nonenhanced and contrast material-enhanced helical computed tomography (CT) with that of small (<3-cm) hypervascular malignant liver tumors and to evaluate the accuracy of multiphase helical CT for differentiating small hemangiomas from small hypervascular malignant tumors., Materials and Methods: Radiologists reviewed multiphase helical CT liver images in 86 patients with 37 hemangiomas and 49 malignant liver tumors. They evaluated lesion type and degree of enhancement for change from arterial to portal venous phase. They rated their confidence in the discrimination of hemangiomas from malignant tumors., Results: At arterial phase CT, enhancement similar to aortic enhancement was observed in 19%-32% of hemangiomas and 0%-2% of malignant tumors; globular enhancement, in 62%-68% and 4%-12%, respectively. At portal venous phase CT, enhancement similar to blood pool enhancement was observed in 43%-54% of hemangiomas and 4%-14% of malignant tumors; globular enhancement, in 46%-49% and 0%-2%, respectively. For all readers and all phases of enhancement, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.81-0.87, indicating that inherent accuracy of CT is high and that there was no significant difference (P >.28) in overall accuracy. Readers diagnosed hemangiomas with 47%-53% mean sensitivity with all enhancement phases and diagnosed malignant lesions with 95% mean specificity., Conclusion: Small hemangiomas frequently show atypical appearances at CT. Two-phase helical CT does not improve sensitivity but does improve specificity for differentiating hemangiomas from hypervascular malignant tumors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate dynamic CT findings of hepatic abscesses, especially segmental hepatic enhancement, and to clarify the cause., Materials and Methods: Twenty-four abscesses in eight patients were examined by early (30 sec) and late phase (90 sec) dynamic CT. Patients underwent abscess drainage (n = 1), hepatic resection (n = 2), or antibiotic therapy (n = 5). CT during arterial portography and CT during hepatic arteriography were performed in one patient. We retrospectively observed the frequency and changes of segmental hepatic enhancement on dynamic CT and determined its cause using radiologic and pathologic correlation., Results: Sixteen abscesses (67%) showed transient segmental hepatic enhancement and three abscesses showed only segmental hepatic enhancement in the early phase. Four abscesses in one patient who underwent CT during arterial portography and CT during hepatic arteriography showed a segmental perfusion defect on CT during arterial portography and segmental enhancement on CT during hepatic arteriography. On follow-up dynamic CT performed 10-17 days after the initial CT, segmental hepatic enhancement surrounding hepatic abscesses decreased or disappeared in all abscesses. Pathologic examination of two patients showed marked inflammatory cell infiltration with stenosis of portal venules within the portal tracts surrounding hepatic abscesses without definite inflammation in the liver parenchyma., Conclusion: Segmental hepatic enhancement on dynamic CT is frequently associated with hepatic abscesses and may be caused by decreased portal flow resulting from inflammation of the portal tracts.