Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for microvascular invasion (MVI) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods 206 patients with HCC were encountered in our hospital between March 2018 and March 2022, and all underwent MRI and hepatectomy. The MVI was diagnosed by histopathology. The univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were applied to predict the existence of MVI in patients with HCC. Results Out of the 206 patients with HCC, the MVI was found in 50 cases (24.3%); there were no significant differences as respect to serum AFP levels, Child-Pugh classes and the tumor envelope intact or not between patients with and without MVI(P>0.05), while the percentages of tumor diameter ≥5 cm and low tumor cell differentiation in patients with MVI were 56.0% and 58.0%, both much higher than 32.7% and 35.3% (P<0.05) in patients without MVI; the multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the tumor diameter ≥5 cm and low tumor cell differentiation were the independent risk factors for the existence of MVI in patients with HCC (OR=1.166, OR=1.141, bot P<0.05). Conclusion The large tumor and low differentiation of tumor cells are the independent risk factors of MVI happening in patients with HCC, and the preoperative imaging could help determine the size of tumors, and thus make the therapeutic strategy.

Key words: Hepatoma, Magnetic resonance imaging, Hepatectomy, Microvascular invasion, Multivariate Logistic regression analysis