title: Evaluation of liver fibrosis by investigation of hepatic parenchymal perfusion using contrast-enhanced ultrasound: an animal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the value of assessing the hepatic parenchymal perfusion in contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for evaluating liver fibrosis, using an animal model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into experimental (n = 35) and control (n = 35) groups. In the experimental group, liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride. CEUS of the liver was performed at a 2-week interval for 14 weeks. Signal intensity of liver parenchyma was analyzed with time-intensity curves. Histologic examination of liver specimens of the animals was performed to assess the fibrosis stage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The peak signal intensity of hepatic parenchymal perfusion in stage 2-3 fibrosis was significantly lower than that in stage 0-1. The time to peak intensity of hepatic parenchymal perfusion was significantly longer in the experimental group than the control group, and in the stage 3 fibrosis than in stages 0-2 fibrosis. Using time to peak intensity of hepatic parenchymal perfusion to distinguish stage 3 fibrosis and stages 0-2 fibrosis, the optimum cutoff was 75,000 milliseconds with the sensitivity and specificity of 67% and 78%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This animal study showed that CEUS has the potential to be a complementary imaging tool in the evaluation of liver fibrosis.
authors: Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Ying
authors: Gina
authors: G
authors: Leung
authors: Thomas Y H
authors: TY
authors: Lau
authors: George L
authors: GL
authors: Tipoe
authors: Esther S T
authors: ES
authors: Lee
authors: Queeny W H
authors: QW
authors: Yuen
authors: Yan-Ping
authors: YP
authors: Huang
authors: Yong-Ping
authors: YP
authors: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D003287:Contrast Media; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D010477:Perfusion / Q000379:methods; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride