title: Focal masses in a non-cirrhotic liver: The additional benefit of CEUS over baseline imaging.
abstract: Incidentally detected focal liver lesions are commonly encountered in clinical practice presenting a challenge in the daily department work flow. Guidelines for the management of incidental focal liver lesions have been published but comments, illustrations and recommendations regarding practical issues are crucial. The unique features of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in non-invasive assessment of focal liver lesion enhancement throughout the vascular phases in real-time has allowed an impressive improvement in the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound. We highlight the additional benefit of contrast-enhanced ultrasound over conventional B-mode ultrasound imaging in detection, characterization, differential and final diagnosis of focal liver lesions, as well as for liver metastases screening. The current roles of cross-sectional imaging are explained in detail, with indications and limitations for each procedure. The advantages of CEUS, such as non-ionizing radiation exposure, cost benefits, non-iodinate contrast agents, and repeatability are also described ultimately improving patient management.
authors.affiliation: Sino-German Research Center of Ultrasound in Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China; Med. Klinik 2, Caritas Krankenhaus Bad Mergentheim, Uhlandstr. 7, D-97980 Bad Mergentheim, Germany; Département d'imagerie médicale, Clinique des Cévennes, 07100 Annonay, France. Electronic address: lilichiorean@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiorean
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Radiologiche, Oncologiche, Anatomo-patologiche, Policlinico Umberto I, Univ. Sapienza, Roma, Italy. Electronic address: vito.cantisani@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cantisani
authors.affiliation: Innere Medizin, Krankenhaus Märkisch Oderland, Prötzeler Chaussee 5, 15433 Strausberg, Germany. Electronic address: C.Jenssen@khmol.de.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jenssen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, England, United Kingdom. Electronic address: paulsidhu@nhs.net.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Sidhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Caritas Krankenhaus Bad Mergentheim, Uhlandstr. 7, D-97980 Bad Mergentheim, Germany. Electronic address: Ulrich.Baum@ckbm.de.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Baum
authors.affiliation: Sino-German Research Center of Ultrasound in Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China; Med. Klinik 2, Caritas Krankenhaus Bad Mergentheim, Uhlandstr. 7, D-97980 Bad Mergentheim, Germany. Electronic address: christoph.dietrich@ckbm.de.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Dietrich
mesh_terms: D018248:Adenoma, Liver Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Diagnosis; Focal liver lesions; Guidelines; Non-cirrhotic liver; Ultrasonography