Affiliations: [a]
Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| [b]
Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| [c]
Department of Pathology, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| [d]
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| [e]
Shanghai Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Shanghai, China
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence author: Tao Ying, Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine; Shanghai Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Yishan Road 600, Shanghai, 200233, China. E-mail: yingtaomail@yeah.net and Yi Li, Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Yishan Road 600, Shanghai, 200233, China. E-mail: kupffer2022@126.com.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:
This article aims to clarify pitfalls and find strategies for the detecting and diagnosing hyperechoic liver metastases (LMs) using Sonazoid-contrast enhanced ultrasonography (Sonazoid-CEUS). METHODS:
This study was a prospective self-controlled study. Patients with hepatic lesions suspected as LMs or benign lesions were included in the study. Baseline ultrasonography (BUS) and Sonazoid-CEUS were performed on every patient. Characteristics of LMs and benign nodules were compared by chi-square test and fisher test. Factors influenced the CEUS were demonstrated by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS:
54 patients were included in this study. CEUS found additional 75 LMs from 19 patients in Kupffer phase. We found hyperechoic focal liver lesions and deep seated in liver are main confounding factors in CEUS diagnosis. Sensitivity would be improved from 16.67% to 78.57%, negative predictive value (NPV) would be improved from 28.57% to 76.92% and accuracy would be improved from 37.5% to 87.50% when using rapid “wash-in” and “wash-out” as main diagnostic criteria. CONCLUSIONS:
Hyperechoic LMs especially deeply seated ones are usually not shown typical “black hole” sign in Kupffer phase. Quickly “wash-in and wash out” shows high accuracy in diagnosing malignant nodules. We highly recommend CEUS as a routing exam to detect and diagnose LMs.
