Diagnosis

Patients were diagnosed with HCC as per the AASLD guidelines (12). Typical MRI or CT manifestations of HCC consisted of an enhancement pattern associated with arterial hypervascularity and venous/delayed phase washout (12). In cases when typical imaging findings were lacking, a percutaneous biopsy was performed. The number and diameter of the tumors were assessed using preoperative MRI or CT images. All images were independently analyzed by 2 radiologists with 6 and 12 years of experience in abdominal diagnosis. In case of a disagreement, a third radiologist with 16 years of experience was consulted to make the final decision.