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Assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma by contrast-enhanced ultrasound with perfluorobutane microbubbles: comparison with dynamic CT

2011; Wiley; Volume: 84; Issue: 1002 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1259/bjr/38682601

1748-880X

Mari Mandai, Masahiko Koda, Tomomitsu Matono, Takakazu Nagahara, Takaaki Sugihara, M. Ueki, Kenji Ohyama, Yoshikazu Murawaki,

MRI in cancer diagnosis

The aim of this study was to evaluate tumour vascularity and Kupffer cell imaging in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid (perfluorobutane) and to compare performance with dynamic CT.We studied 118 nodules in 88 patients with HCC. HCC was diagnosed as a hyperenhancement lesion in the arterial phase with washout in the portal phase on dynamic CT or by percutaneous biopsy. We observed tumour vascularity at the early vascular phase (10-30 s after contrast injection) and Kupffer imaging at the post-vascular phase (after 10 min).Detection of vascularity at the early vascular phase was 88% in nodules that were found to be hypervascular on dynamic CT and 28% in hypo-/isovascular nodules; the detection of local recurrence nodules was 92%. The detection of vascularity was significantly lower in nodules >9 cm deep than in those ≤9 cm deep, but was not affected by tumour size. The detection of tumours at the post-vascular phase on CEUS was 83% in nodules with low density in the portal phase on dynamic CT and 82% in nodules with isodensity. The rate did not depend on the severity of underlying liver disease; rates decreased in nodules deeper than 9 cm, those smaller than 2 cm in diameter and in iso-enhancing nodules at the early vascular phase of CEUS.CEUS with Sonazoid is a useful tool for assessing the vascularity of HCC and is equal to that of dynamic CT; however, the detectability of HCC vascularity is affected by location.