Correlation between blood flow characteristics of transvaginal ultrasonography and malignancy of ovarian cancer

Abstract

Objective To investigate the correlation between the blood flow characteristics of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and malignancy of patients with ovarian tumor. Methods 60 cases with ovarian tumors treated by surgery and confirmed by pathology were selected, including 28 cases of ovarian cancer and 32 cases of benign ovarian tumor. The time of arrival (AT) , peak time (TTP) and intensity of enhancement (EI) were determined by CEUS, and microvessel density (MVD) of tumor tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlation of the above parameters with MVD and tumor staging was analyzed. Results AT, TTP of the malignant tumor group (10.8±2.1, 25.3±10.5) was significantly lower than those of the benign tumor group (15.4±2.7, 59.4±11.2) . EI of the malignant tumor group (28.6±2.9) was significantly higher than that of the benign tumor group (14.9±2.6) , with statistical significance (P<0.05) . MVD of the malignant tumor group (62.8±13.6) was significantly higher than that of the benign tumor group (21.5±11.4) , with significant difference (P<0.05) . AT and TTP were negatively correlated with MVD and FIGO staging (r=-0.562, r=-0.504, r=-0.636, r=-0.623) , while EI was positively correlated with MVD and FIGO staging (r=0.839 and r=0.785) , with statistical difference (P<0.05) . Conclusions Blood flow characteristics of CEUS are closely related to the malignancy of ovarian tumors. CEUS can accurately evaluate angiogenesis, blood perfusion and malignancy of ovarian tumors. Key words: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Ovarian tumor; Malignancy; Blood flow characteristics