Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the diagnosis of orbital space-occupying lesions

Abstract

To summarise the sonographic findings and assess the feasibility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) as an imaging method for the diagnosis of orbital space-occupying lesions. This was a prospective study of 53 patients who underwent orbital ultrasound at Xijing Hospital. Two-dimensional ultrasound, colour Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and CEUS imaging were obtained and compared in patients with orbital haemangioma, pseudotumour, melanoma of the choroid, and retinoblastoma. CEUS imaging cannot only visualise the location, shape, border, acoustic properties of a lesion, and interactions between the lesion and surrounding tissues, but also display the microvasculature and tissue perfusion within the lesion. The information obtained from CEUS imaging is valuable for diagnosis and differential diagnosis of orbital space-occupying lesions. CEUS imaging allowed better visualisation of the lesions, enabled detection of vascular changes, increased the signal-to-noise ratio, and increased the sensitivity of detection of changes in perfusion in the microcirculation. It has relatively high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of orbital space-occupying lesions and increases the accuracy of diagnosis.