Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of embolic consolidations in patients with pulmonary embolism: A pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze and describe the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) patterns of peripheral lung lesions in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) confirmed on CT angiography or lung scintigraphy.


METHODS
CEUS had been performed on 35 patients with peripheral lung lesions detected on gray-scale imaging and confirmed as PE. The following data were evaluated retrospectively: (1) accumulation of contrast medium (absent or present), (2) differentiation between pulmonary arterial (PA) and bronchial arterial blood supply, and (3) contrast-enhancement pattern (absent/nonhomogeneous or homogeneous). A CEUS pattern of absent or nonhomogeneous enhancement was suspicious (ie, typical) of embolic consolidations (EC), whereas a pattern of homogeneous PA enhancement was considered to be atypical of EC.


RESULTS
Peripheral lesions showed a CEUS pattern suspicious of EC in 80% of the patients, with no enhancement in 40% and nonhomogeneous enhancement in another 40%. A CEUS pattern of homogeneous PA enhancement, atypical of EC, was identified in the remaining 20% of the patients. Pulmonary lesions larger than 1 cm showed vascularization more often than smaller lesions did (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Peripheral lung lesions in patients with confirmed PE show a CEUS pattern of absent or nonhomogeneous contrast enhancement for suspicious EC. Further prospective studies are required to verify the diagnostic accuracy of CEUS for EC.
Interdisciplinary Center of Ultrasound, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg and Philipps University Marburg, Baldingerstraße, Marburg, Germany.
Sybille
S
Bartelt
Hospital of Internal Medicine, Department of Haematology, Oncology and Immunology, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg and Philipps University Marburg, Baldingerstraße, Marburg, Germany.
Corinna
C
Trenker
Interdisciplinary Center of Ultrasound, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg and Philipps University Marburg, Baldingerstraße, Marburg, Germany.
Christian
C
Görg
Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, University Hospital Göttingen, Robert-Kochstr. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
Albrecht
A
Neesse
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
D003287:Contrast Media
chest ultrasonography; contrast-enhanced ultrasonography; pleurisy; pulmonary embolism