Doppler velocity histogram analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
To study the characteristics of tumor blood flow, flow profiles from hepatocellular carcinomas (39 profiles) and normal hepatic arteries (23 profiles) were evaluated using velocity histograms obtained with Doppler ultrasound. The histograms were classified into three types: (1) high-peak, (2) flat, and (3) low-peak. Characteristically, the low-peak types and the flat types, with flows in opposing directions, were seen only in the tumor vessels. The turbulence in a phantom flow model was of the low-peak type. Spectral analysis revealed that the velocity profile of tumor blood flow was different from that of noncancerous flow and that tumor blood flow was characterized by turbulence.