title: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the hepatic vein in normal dogs.
abstract: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of the hepatic vein can assess intrahepatic hemodynamic changes and has been studied as a noninvasive method to assess the severity of portal hypertension and hepatic fibrosis in humans. However, few reports have described its usefulness in veterinary medicine. The purpose of this study was to characterize CEUS findings of the hepatic vein in normal dogs and assess the repeatability of this method both in a conscious group (n=6) and a sedated group (n=6). Sonazoid®(0.01 ml/kg) was used as a contrast agent, and scanning of the hepatic vein was performed for 2 min. Time-intensity curves were generated from regions of interest in the hepatic vein. Four perfusion parameters were measured for quantitative analysis: hepatic vein arrival time (HVAT), time to peak (TTP), time to peak phase (TTPP) and wash-out ratio (WR). CEUS examinations were performed three times in each dog. The median (range) values of HVAT, TTP, TTPP and WR in the conscious group were 13.5 sec (9-22 sec), 12.5 sec (6-24 sec), 8 sec (6-13 sec) and 78.0% (60.7-91.7%), respectively. Median (range) values of HVAT, TTP, TTPP and WR in the sedated group were 12 sec (8-17 sec), 12.5 sec (9-17 sec), 9 sec (7-13 sec) and 84.1% (63.0-94.4%), respectively. The coefficients of variation of these parameters in the conscious and sedated groups were 7.6-29.7% and 11.8-14.8%, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan.
authors.forename: Keitaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morishita
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hiramoto
authors.forename: Tatsuyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osuga
authors.forename: Sue Yee
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Nisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khoirun
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takiguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004285:Dogs; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010087:Oxides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015742:Propofol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013997:Time Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D010087:Oxides; C069727:Sonazoid; D007501:Iron; D015742:Propofol