Handheld ultrasound for portal vein evaluation in pediatric patients
Issue title: Selected articles of the 42th Conference of the German Society for Clinical Microcirculation and Hemorheology, 15–16 November 2024, Senftenberg, Germany
Affiliations: [a] Medical Clinic and Polyclinic III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| [b]
Department of Medical Statistics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| [c]
Institute for Diagnostic Radiology and Interdisciplinary Ultrasound, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Dr. med. univ. Barbara Greiner, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Interdisciplinary Ultrasound, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, Regensburg 93053 Germany. E-mail: barbara.greiner@klinik.uni-regensburg.de.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To assess diagnostic capabilities of a modern handheld ultrasound device (HUD) for portal vein (PV) evaluation in pediatric patients and to verify if age, body mass index (BMI) and object depth correlate to imagequality. METHODS:45 patients (3.9 months– 17.9 years; 10.3 years±5.4) were examined using a HUD and cart-based high-end ultrasound system (HEUS). The intra-and extrahepatic PV was scanned using B-Mode and Color-coded Doppler sonography (CCDS). A five-point Likert scale was applied to evaluate image quality. Results were interpreted by two readers in consensus. Scores were compared between the scanners and correlated to age, BMI and skin-to-portal-vein-distance (SPVD). The influence on image quality and the difference between the two devices were analyzed using ordinal and Bayesian logistic regression models. RESULTS:≥4 points (mild or no limitations) were achieved by the HUD in 60% for B-Mode and 56% for CCDS. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the image quality achieved by the HUD and the SPVD for B-Mode and CCDS. The effect of BMI and SPVD on having≥4 points differed significantly between the HUD and HEUS for B-Mode and for CCDS. CONCLUSIONS:Sufficient to excellent image quality for portal vein assessment in pediatric patients was achieved by the HUD except for the most deep-lying structures. Compared to HEUS, diagnostic performance of the HUD is lower, based on a negative correlation with object depth.
