Echo contrast-enhanced power Doppler ultrasonography for assessment of angiogenesis in renal cell carcinoma.
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.
Kabakci
Neslihan
N
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, 35340 Inciralti, Izmir, Turkey. neslihan.kabakci@deu.edu.tr
Igci
Enis
E
Secil
Mustafa
M
Yorukoglu
Kutsal
K
Mungan
Ugur
U
Celebi
Ilhan
I
Kirkali
Ziya
Z
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
D011134:Polysaccharides; C059891:SHU 508