Chronic liver disease: Correlation of CEUS-based microperfusion and indocyanine green clearance

Issue title: Selected Presentations held at the 34th Conference of the German Society for Clinical Microcirculation and Hemorheology, Regensburg, Germany, 27–28 November, 2015

Guest editors: L. Prantl, E.M. Jung and F. Jung

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Haimerl, M.^{a; *} | Jung, E.-M.^a | Beyer, L.P.^a | Pregler, B.^a | Dollinger, M.^a | Sieroń, D.^b | Niessen, C.^a | Stroszczynski, C.^a | Wiggermann, P.^a

Affiliations: [a] Institute for Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany | [b] Department of Radiology, District Hospital of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Piekary Śląskie, Poland

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Michael Haimerl, MD, Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, 93042 Regensburg, Germany. Tel.: +49 941 944 7401; E-mail: michael.haimerl@ukr.de

Abstract: PURPOSE:To evaluate whether changes of dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)-based liver microcirculation during chronic liver disease are correlated with the extent of impaired liver function, expressed by the indocyanine green (ICG) clearance. MATERIALS AND METHODS:19 patients underwent CEUS examinations with previous or consecutive ICG clearance test. The ICG plasma disappearance rate (ICG-PDR) was determined using the noninvasive pulse-densitometric LiMON system. Quantification of peak enhancement (PE), rise time (RT) and the wash-in rate (WiR) was performed in the liver parenchyma (ROIliver) as well as in the portal vein (ROIportal vein) using a novel quantification software (VueBoxTM). To compare quantification parameters, patients were classified in patients representing a healthy population (ICG-PDR >16, n = 8) and those representing patients with liver disease (ICG-PDR ≤16, n = 11). RESULTS:ROIportal vein showed significant differences comparing healthy patients and patients with liver disease for all perfusion parameters: PE and WiR were significantly higher in patients without liver disease (p = 0.048; p = 0.039). RT was significantly lower in healthy population (p = 0.039). Comparing perfusion parameters for ROIliver, PE was significantly higher in patients without liver disease (p = 0.039). There was no significant difference for RT (p = 0.804) and WiR (p = 0.058), respectively. CONCLUSION:Within the framework of this study CEUS derived estimation of microcirculation did not prove to be a reliable estimator of liver function. RT, PE and WiR measured in the portal vein were significant perfusion factors in predicting liver function.

Keywords: Chronic liver disease, CEUS, ICG-test, microcirculation, liver function

DOI: 10.3233/CH-151990

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 195-204, 2015