Characterization of focal liver lesions with contrast-enhanced ultrasound.
The introduction of second generation microbubble ultrasound (US) contrast agents, such as SonoVue (Bracco, Milan, Italy), has considerably improved the diagnostic yield of US imaging for the evaluation of focal hepatic lesions in recent years because of its ability to very sensitively depict tumoral vascularity. In addition, contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) has the advantage of the absence of ionizing radiation, the widespread availability, even at the bedside, and the possibility to characterize a lesion as soon as detected on conventional B-mode US, commonly used as the first technique for exploration of the liver. The present review focuses on the basic principles of the technique and the various patterns of benign and malignant hepatic lesions at CEUS, contributing to their characterization. Understanding of these enhancement features at CEUS according to the type of tumors enables to make more accurate characterization of focal liver lesions as well as give better advice to oncologists, hepatologists or other clinicians in case of suspected liver tumors.
Piscaglia
Fabio
F
Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. fabio.piscaglia@unibo.it
Lencioni
Riccardo
R
Sagrini
Elisabetta
E
Pina
Clotilde Dalla
CD
Cioni
Dania
D
Vidili
Giampaolo
G
Bolondi
Luigi
L
D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D045423:Microbubbles; D010743:Phospholipids; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride