Evaluation of the imaging feature of anterior mediastinal tumors with ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound

Abstract

Objective To analysis and summarise the feature of conventional ultrasound(US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS) of anterior mediastinal tumor. Methods From April 2011 to March 2015, 24 patients, diagnosed as anterior mediastinal tumor by chest CT and could be detected by conventional US, were enrolled in this study. Among them, there were 11 lymphomas, 5 thymic carcinomas and 8 thymomas. The US and CEUS, micro flow imaging(MFI) and time intensity curve(TIC) parameters were evaluated respectively. Results Compare with lymphoma and thymoma in US, there were significant difference between the tumor shape and internal echo respectively (P<0.05, P<0.05). Compare with lymphoma and thymoma in CEUS, there were significant difference between the display rate of microvascular and feature of enhancement respectively(P<0.05, P<0.05). The result of TIC in different tumors were analyzed respectively. The rise time of lymphoma was early than thymoma, but the half time of wash out of lymphoma was later than thymoma, there was significant difference between the two diseases respectively(P<0.05, P=0.01). Further more, the arrive time of invasive thymoma was later than noninvasive thymoma, there was significant difference between the two diseases(P<0.05). Conclusions CEUS could further assess the characteristic of microvascular perfusion in anterior mediastinal tumors, based on the evaluation of conventional US. It could have a potential clinical value and a development capacity for differentiation diagnosis. Key words: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Mediastinal neoplasms; Lymphoma; Thymoma