title: Intrahepatic circulatory time analysis of an ultrasound contrast agent in liver cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the diagnostic accuracy and advantages of intrahepatic circulatory time analysis of an ultrasound contrast agent using pulse-inversion imaging as compared with recently reported noninvasive diagnostic tests for cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients divided into noncirrhotic (nonLC) (n = 20) and compensated cirrhotic (LC) (n = 20) groups were studied prospectively. After intravenous administration of a contrast agent, the arrival times at the hepatic artery (HA), portal vein (PV), and hepatic vein (HV) were measured by pulse-inversion imaging. Intrahepatic circulatory time was calculated as the difference between the HV and HA arrival times (HV-HA interval time) or the HV and PV arrival times (HV-PV interval time).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HV-HA and HV-PV interval times were significantly shorter in the LC group (7.4 +/- 1.7 and 1.9 +/- 1.5 s, respectively) compared with those in the nonLC group (normal: 15.6 +/- 2.1 and 11.1 +/- 1.7 s, respectively; P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively, and hepatitis: 12.8 +/- 4.1 and 7.8 +/- 4.4 s, respectively; P < 0.001 and P < 0.002, respectively). Each intrahepatic circulatory time showed the highest accuracy rate for cirrhosis in other noninvasive diagnostic tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This analysis, which is considered to reflect intrahepatic hemodynamic changes, is a useful noninvasive diagnostic test for compensated cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II, Nagoya University School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan. hirotam@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Shigehiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kure
authors.forename: Soichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Akimasa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001682:Biological Availability; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008102:Liver Circulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D011134:Polysaccharides; C059891:SHU 508