The diagnostic value of high-frequency ultrasonography in biliary atresia.
BACKGROUND
It is a globally challenging problem to differentially diagnose biliary atresia (BA) from other disease processes causing infantile cholestatic jaundice. The high-frequency ultrasonography (HUS) yields much improved spatial resolution and therefore, might show better image in BA diagnostic examination. The present study was to evaluate the HUS on the diagnosis of BA in infants with jaundice.


METHODS
Fifty-one infants with neonatal jaundice were scanned with ultrasonography. Images included gallbladder, bile duct, right hepatic artery (RHA), portal vein (PV) and triangular cord (TC) sign, magnetic resonance imaging and additionally, laboratory tests and histopathology reports were assessed.


RESULTS
Twenty-three BA and 28 non-BA cases were confirmed. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of HUS were 91.3%, 92.9%, and 92.2%, respectively. All of these indices were significantly higher than those of conventional ultrasonography (P<0.01) and MR cholangiopancreatography (P<0.05). The HUS features, included a positive TC sign, an increased RHA diameter and RHA-diameter to portal-vein-diameter ratio (RHA/PV) and abnormal gallbladder, were important in the diagnosis of BA.


CONCLUSIONS
HUS provided better imaging of BA and should be considered as a primary modality in the differential diagnosis of infantile jaundice.
Department of Ultrasound, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Li-Ping
LP
Jiang
Yun-Chao
YC
Chen
Lu
L
Ding
Xiao-Ling
XL
Liu
Kai-Yan
KY
Li
Dao-Zhong
DZ
Huang
Ai-Yun
AY
Zhou
Qing-Ping
QP
Zhang
D001656:Biliary Atresia / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007565:Jaundice / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods