title: Hemodynamic and morphologic changes of peripheral hepatic vasculature in cirrhotic liver disease: a preliminary study using contrast-enhanced coded phase inversion harmonic ultrasonography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide the useful information for the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis by observing the morphology of peripheral hepatic vessels and the hemodynamics of microbubble arrival time in these vessels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one subjects including 5 normal volunteers and 16 patients (liver cirrhosis, n=10; chronic hepatitis, n=6) were studied by contrast-enhanced coded phase inversion harmonic sonography (GE LOGIQ 9 series) using a 6-8 MHz convex-arrayed wide-band transducer. The images of peripheral hepatic artery, portal and hepatic vein were observed in real-time for about 2 min after intravenous injection of Levovist. The time when microbubbles appeared in the peripheral vessels (microbubble arrival time) was also recorded. The morphologic changes of peripheral hepatic vasculature were classified as marked, slight, and no changes based on the regularity in caliber, course, ramification, and the delineation of vessels compared to normal subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The microbubble arrival time at peripheral artery, portal, and hepatic vein was shorter in cirrhotic patients than in chronic hepatitis patients and normal subjects. The marked, slight and no morphologic changes of peripheral hepatic vasculature found in 5 (5/6, 83.3%), 1 (1/6, 16.7%), and 0 (0/6, 0%) liver cirrhosis patients, respectively, and in 1 (1/10, 10%), 6 (6/10, 60%), and 3 (3/10, 30%) chronic hepatitis patients, respectively. There was a significant difference between the two groups (P< 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evaluation of the hemodynamics and morphology of peripheral hepatic vasculature by contrast-enhanced coded pulse inversion harmonic sonography can provide useful information for the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China. ultrasoundzh@sohu.com
authors.forename: Rong-Qin
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D045423:Microbubbles; D008875:Middle Aged; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D011134:Polysaccharides; C059891:SHU 508