Resistance index in differential diagnosis of liver lesions by color doppler ultrasonography.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the specific value of resistance index (RI) in color Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of focal hepatic lesions.


METHODS
Eight hundred patients with 893 hepatic solid lesions were studied with color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and pulsed Doppler, including 644 malignant cases (596 primary malignant liver tumors, and 48 metastatic liver tumors), 156 benign cases. All were confirmed by operation and pathology.


RESULTS
The detection rate of arterial flow in malignant tumors was 92%, and 52% in benign lesions. Doppler spectrum analysis showed that the resistance index in primary malignant tumors was 0.75+/-0.12, 0.73+/-0.09 in metastatic tumors, and was below 0.6 in benign lesions. The difference was significant (P<0.001). This difference was related with its histopathologic structure.


CONCLUSIONS
The arterial flow with RI > or =0.6 identified by CDFI within the liver lesion can be regarded as a criterion of malignant tumors, RI<0.6 can be regarded as benign disorders. RI is useful in differential diagnosis of liver neoplasms.
Wang
Yan
Y
Department of Ultrasound, Ziongshan Hospital of Shanghai Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Wang
Wen-Ping
WP
Ding
Hong
H
Huang
Bei-Jian
BJ
Mao
Feng
F
Xu
Zhi-Zhang
ZZ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008102:Liver Circulation; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D014655:Vascular Resistance