title: Contrast-enhanced sonography for quantitative assessment of portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The clinical utility of contrast-enhanced sonography in portal hypertension remains unclear. We explored the feasibility of using contrast-enhanced sonography for noninvasive assessment of portal venous pressure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty healthy individuals (control group; 9 men; mean age, 46.4 years) and 18 patients with portal hypertension (15 men; mean age, 46.2 years) were enrolled in this study. The portal hypertension group included patients who underwent splenectomy and pericardial blood vessel disarticulation at our hospital from October 2010 to March 2011. One week before surgery, patients with portal hypertension underwent preoperative liver contrast-enhanced sonography. Two-dimensional, Doppler, and contrast-enhanced sonographic parameters were compared between the groups. Portal venous pressure was measured intraoperatively by portal vein puncture in the portal hypertension group, and its relationship with the other parameters was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 2-dimensional, Doppler, and contrast-enhanced sonographic parameters differed between the groups (P < .01). Portal venous pressure was inversely correlated with the area under the portal vein/hepatic artery time-intensity curve ratio (Qp/Qa), portal vein/hepatic artery strength ratio (Ip/Ia), and portal vein/hepatic artery wash-in perfusion slope ratio (βp/βa), with correlation coefficients of -0.701, -0.625, and -0.494, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of the liver contrast-enhanced sonographic parameters Qp/Qa, Ip/Ia, and βp/βa could be used as a new quantitative method for noninvasively assessing portal venous pressure.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Ultrasound (E.-Z.Q.) and Liver Transplantation (Y.-C.Z.), Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Ultrasound, 302 Military Hospital of China, Beijing, China (Z.-Y.L., Y.L.); and Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China (J.-R.W.).
authors.forename: En-Ze
authors.initials: EZ
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Ultrasound (E.-Z.Q.) and Liver Transplantation (Y.-C.Z.), Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Ultrasound, 302 Military Hospital of China, Beijing, China (Z.-Y.L., Y.L.); and Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China (J.-R.W.).
authors.forename: Ying-Cai
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Ultrasound (E.-Z.Q.) and Liver Transplantation (Y.-C.Z.), Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Ultrasound, 302 Military Hospital of China, Beijing, China (Z.-Y.L., Y.L.); and Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China (J.-R.W.).
authors.forename: Zhi-Yan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Departments of Ultrasound (E.-Z.Q.) and Liver Transplantation (Y.-C.Z.), Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Ultrasound, 302 Military Hospital of China, Beijing, China (Z.-Y.L., Y.L.); and Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China (J.-R.W.).
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Ultrasound (E.-Z.Q.) and Liver Transplantation (Y.-C.Z.), Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Ultrasound, 302 Military Hospital of China, Beijing, China (Z.-Y.L., Y.L.); and Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China (J.-R.W.). jinrui_wang@sina.com.
authors.forename: Jin-Rui
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods; D003287:Contrast Media; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010743:Phospholipids; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*; D014690:Venous Pressure
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride
keywords: contrast-enhanced sonography; gastrointestinal ultrasound; noninvasive; portal hypertension