title: Echo contrast-enhanced power Doppler ultrasonography for assessment of angiogenesis in renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tumoral growth is an angiogenesis-dependent event. Although there are studies about the importance of histopathologic angiogenesis in various malignancies, the assessment of the angiogenesis by radiologic techniques is not well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of echo contrast-enhanced power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) in determining the angiogenic status of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Power Doppler ultrasonography was performed before and after intravenous administration of an echo contrast agent in 42 patients with renal masses. Twenty-one of these renal masses were diagnosed as RCC histopathologically, and these 21 patients were reevaluated retrospectively. The color pixel ratios of selected images were calculated as the ratio of the number of pixels showing power Doppler signals to the total number of pixels within the lesion. The results were compared with the histopathologic microvessel density (MVD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant correlation was found between color pixel ratio and MVD values in both PDUS techniques. The use of the echo contrast agent improved this correlation and P values (Spearman rho from 0.436 to 0.551; P from .048 to .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Color pixel ratio values reflect the MVD in RCC. Therefore, these results suggest that preoperative quantification of angiogenesis can be possible with the help of PDUS in RCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, 35340 Inciralti, Izmir, Turkey. neslihan.kabakci@deu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Neslihan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kabakci
authors.forename: Enis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Igci
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Secil
authors.forename: Kutsal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yorukoglu
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mungan
authors.forename: Ilhan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Celebi
authors.forename: Ziya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kirkali
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; C059891:SHU 508