title: Enhancement of hepatic hemangiomas with levovist on coded harmonic angiographic ultrasonography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the pattern of contrast enhancement with Levovist on coded harmonic angiographic ultrasonography of hepatic hemangiomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty hemangiomas were evaluated with coded harmonic angiographic ultrasonography and a microbubble contrast agent. Verification of the diagnosis of a hemangioma was made by means of dynamic computed tomography (n = 8), dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (n = 1), radionuclide scanning (n = 6), or follow-up ultrasonography (n = 5). Ultrasonographic images were obtained before contrast agent administration and with a bolus injection of 2.5 g of a microbubble contrast agent (300 mg/mL Levovist; Schering AG, Berlin, Germany) every 10 to 15 seconds for 5 minutes. The contrast enhancement patterns of the 20 hemangiomas were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tumor diameters as measured on ultrasonography were 7 to 97 mm (mean, 26.7 mm). Of the 20 hemangiomas, peripheral globular enhancement with progressive centripetal fill-in was shown in 15 (75%), rimlike enhancement with progressive centripetal fill-in was shown in 2 (10%), and homogeneous enhancement was shown in 1 (5%). In the remaining 2 lesions (10%), the enhancement patterns could not be seen, because they were not found on coded harmonic angiographic ultrasonography.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Coded harmonic angiographic ultrasonography with a microbubble contrast agent can depict the typical enhancement pattern in most hepatic hemangiomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae Kyoung
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bong Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyo Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Eun
authors.forename: Pyo Nyun
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Moon-Gyu
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyun Kwon
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Ha
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D011134:Polysaccharides; C059891:SHU 508