title: Benign focal liver lesions: spectrum of findings on SonoVue-enhanced pulse-inversion ultrasonography.
abstract: The prevalence of benign focal liver lesions (BFLL) is high both in the general population and in patients with known malignancies. The gray-scale ultrasound (US) technique is usually the first-line imaging modality used in the radiological workup of such lesions, but unfortunately it lacks specificity. Furthermore, Doppler examination may often be unsatisfactory owing to motion artefacts, or when small or deeply located lesions are evaluated. Recently, microbubble-based contrast agents used in combination with gray-scale US techniques, which are very sensitive to nonlinear behavior of microbubbles, have led to a better depiction of both microvasculature and macrovasculature of focal hepatic masses, thus improving the reliability of using US in the assessment of liver tumors. This review illustrates the spectrum of enhancement patterns of BFLL on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography with SonoVue, a second-generation microbubble-based contrast agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Via Del Vespro 127, 90127, Palermo, Italy. tv_bartolotta@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Tommaso Vincenzo
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Bartolotta
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Midiri
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quaia
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bertolotto
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galia
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cademartiri
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lagalla
authors.forename: Adelfio Elio
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Cardinale
mesh_terms: D018248:Adenoma, Liver Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D020518:Focal Nodular Hyperplasia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D010743:Phospholipids; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride