Homogeneous Hyperenhancement Research Articles

Dynamic enhancement pattern of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma on contrast-enhanced ultrasound: the correlation with cirrhosis and tumor size.

To retrospectively evaluate the dynamic enhancement pattern of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) of varying sizes and hepatic backgrounds. CEUS was performed in 98 pathologically confirmed ICCs (n = 39 < 30 mm, n = 59 > 30 mm; n = 45 with cirrhosis and n = 53 with normal liver). The dynamic enhancement pattern of CEUS was retrospectively analyzed. In the arterial phase, heterogeneous hyper-enhancement was more frequent in ICCs with cirrhosis (21/45, 46.7% vs. 11/53, 20.8% in ICCs with normal liver, p = 0.009), while peripheral hyper-enhancement and hypo-enhancement were more common in ICCs with normal liver (14/53, 26.4%; 11/53, 20.8% vs. 2/45, 4.4%; 2/45, 4.4% in ICCs with cirrhosis, p = 0.005 and 0.033, respectively). There were no significant differences between portal and delayed phases. In ICCs < 30 mm, homogeneous hyper-enhancement was more frequently identified (27/39, 69.2% vs. 10/59, 16.9% in ICCs > 30 mm, p < 0.001), whereas in ICCs > 30 mm, heterogeneous, and peripheral hyper-enhancement were more commonly observed (26/59, 44.1% vs. 6/39, 15.4% in ICCs < 30 mm, p = 0.004, and 14/59, 23.7% vs. 2/39, 5.1% in ICCs < 30 mm, p = 0.023, respectively). The washout pattern in portal and delayed phases were not significantly different in ICCs with different sizes. 60.7% (17/28) ICCs < 30 mm and 85.2% (23/27) ICCs > 30 mm with cirrhosis, together with 66.7% (14/21) ICCs < 30 mm with normal liver displayed intense contrast agent uptake (homogeneous or heterogeneous hyper-enhancement) in arterial phase followed by washout in portal and delayed phase, which was much higher than that in ICCs > 30 mm with normal liver (34.4%, 11/32, p < 0.001, <0.001 and =0.027, respectively). The CEUS dynamic enhancement pattern of ICC varies with size and hepatic background. The enhancement pattern is indistinguishable from hepatocellular carcinoma on CEUS in most ICCs with cirrhosis and in most ICCs < 30 mm with normal liver.

Early treatment response to sorafenib for rabbit VX2 orthotic liver tumors: evaluation by quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

The aim of our study was to investigate the application of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and its quantification analysis for the prediction of early treatment response of sorafenib on rabbit VX2 liver tumor model. Rabbits were implanted VX2 tumor mass to establish a liver tumor model. Fourteen days after tumor implantation, rabbits presented with single liver tumor were randomly divided into two groups. Rabbits in treatment group were given by gavage once a day for 14 days with sorafenib suspension at a dose of 30 mg/kg, whereas rabbits in control group were given saline by gavage of the same volume. CEUS was performed before treatment and 3, 7, 14 days after treatment for the analysis of tumor size, enhancement pattern, and necrosis range. The time intensity curve (TIC) was used to obtain quantitative parameters of enhancement patterns. Before sorafenib administration, tumor volumes ranged from 0.24 to 0.75 cm(3) (mean 0.49 ± 0.18 cm(3)) in treatment group and 0.24 to 0.44 cm(3) (mean 0.30 ± 0.12 cm(3)) in control group. The dynamic enhancement patterns of tumors were homogeneous hyper-enhancement (n = 8), heterogeneous hyper-enhancement (n = 4), and peripheral rim-like enhancement (n = 2). All tumors of the treatment group presented with peripheral rim-like enhancement with large necrotic area after sorafenib administration, whereas tumors of the control group showed heterogeneous hyper-enhancement (n = 5) and peripheral rim-like enhancement (n = 2). There was a significant difference in area under the curve (AUC) before and after sorafenib treatment (P = 0.045). CEUS may be of value in the evaluation of early therapeutic response after sorafenib administration.

CT enteroclysis/enterography findings in drug-induced small-bowel damage.

To evaluate the CT enteroclysis (CTE)/enterography findings of patients with small-bowel mucosal damage induced by aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and to compare these findings with the duration of drug use and endoscopic findings. CTE findings of 11 patients (22 lesions) with drug-induced small-bowel damage were reviewed, including 8 NSAID users and 3 aspirin users. Three patients were short-term users (6 months or shorter) and eight were long-term users (3 years or longer). Nine patients also underwent videocapsule endoscopy (VCE) or double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE). Small-bowel abnormalities were visible in 8 of 11 patients (73%) on CTE. Multiple lesions were seen in five patients, including all short-term users. Lesions were classified into three types. Type 1 (mucosal patchy enhancement) was found in four of eight patients (50%, 12 lesions) all were short-term users. Small erosions with mild oedema/redness were shown by DBE. Type 2 (homogeneous hyperenhancement) was found in two of eight patients (25%, four lesions) who were long-term users. Large ulcers with marked oedema/redness were shown by DBE. Type 3 (stratification enhancement) was found in four of eight patients (50%, six lesions), both short-term and long-term users. Annular or large ulcers with strictures were shown by VCE or DBE. On CTE, Type 1 lesions in patients with mostly short-term aspirin or NSAID use, Type 2 lesions in patients with long-term use and Type 3 lesions in both types of patients were detected. CTE may have usefulness for the detection of mild damage. Small-bowel abnormalities owing to aspirin or NSAID present with three different patterns on CTE.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound appearances of enhancement patterns of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: correlation with pathological findings.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between enhancement patterns of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and pathological findings. The CEUS enhancement patterns of 40 pathologically proven ICC lesions were retrospectively analysed. Pathologically, the degree of tumour cell and fibrosis distribution in the lesion was semi-quantitatively evaluated. Four enhancement patterns were observed in the arterial phase for 32 mass-forming ICCs: peripheral rim-like hyperenhancement (n = 19); heterogeneous hyperenhancement (n = 6); homogeneous hyperenhancement (n = 3); and heterogeneous hypo-enhancement (n = 4). Among the four enhancement patterns, the differences in tumour cell distribution were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The hyperenhancing area on CEUS corresponded to more tumour cells for mass-forming ICCs. Heterogeneous hyperenhancement (n = 2) and heterogeneous hypo-enhancement (n = 2) were observed in the arterial phase for four periductal-infiltrating ICCs. In this subtype, fibrosis was more commonly found in the lesions. Heterogeneous hyperenhancement (n = 1) and homogeneous hyperenhancement (n = 3) were observed in the arterial phase for four intraductal-growing ICCs. This subtype tended to have abundant tumour cells. The CEUS findings of ICC relate to the degree of carcinoma cell proliferation at pathological examination. Hyperenhancing areas in the tumour always indicated increased density of cancer cells.

The analysis of enhancement pattern of hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor on contrast-enhanced ultrasound

The aim of this study was to assess the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the characterization of hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT). We retrospectively reviewed 36 cases of histopathologically diagnosed IPT. Nodule enhancement appearances during the arterial, portal, and delayed phases were defined as hyperenhancement, isoenhancement, hypoenhancement, and non-enhancement compared with the surrounding liver parenchyma. Statistical analysis was performed by the one-way ANOVA and χ (2) tests. Among total 36 cases, 7 nodules were absent of contrast enhancement during all three phrases on CEUS. Twenty-nine nodules appeared different forms of enhancement in arterial phase. Diffuse homogeneous hyperenhancement, diffuse heterogeneous hyperenhancement, peripheral rim-like enhancement, and diffuse iso-enhancement were found in 10, 12, 5, and 2 of the nodules, respectively. Twenty-five nodules showed hypoenhancement in portal and delayed phases. Four nodules showed contrast washed out synchronously with normal liver parenchyma. The median time to enhancement, median time to peak, and median time to wash out of the nodules were 17s (range 11-28s), 23s (range 14-42s), and 45s (range 23-100s), respectively. No statistical significant differences were found in the above parameters of nodule enhancement and proportion of enhancement patterns when dividing the nodules into subgroups by nodule size. IPT displays a variety of enhancement patterns due to pathological changes in the course of disease progression. Some characteristics on CEUS may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of IPT.

Littoral Cell Angioma of the Spleen

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sonographic and pathologic features of littoral cell angioma of the spleen in 7 patients. The sonographic appearance in 7 cases of littoral cell angioma confirmed by surgical pathologic examination was retrospectively reviewed. All underwent color Doppler imaging. Two underwent contrast-enhanced sonography. The sonographic appearance was compared with pathologic findings. Splenic lesions were solitary in 5 cases and multiple in 2 cases. The masses ranged from 10 to 64 mm in maximum diameter. Five hypoechoic and 2 hyperechoic lesions on grayscale sonography corresponded to few and multiple blood-filled spaces on pathologic examination, respectively. Four hypovascular lesions, 1 hypervascular lesion, and the other 2 hypervascular lesions full of color flow signals on color Doppler imaging corresponded to few, several, and multiple arteries on pathologic examination. On contrast-enhanced sonography, 1 hypervascular lesion full of color flow signals showed homogeneous hyperenhancement for 8 minutes during the arterial and parenchymal phases. One hypovascular lesion showed inhomogeneous isoenhancement transiently during the arterial phase and became hypoechoic later. Littoral cell angioma is a primary vascular splenic neoplasm with variable features on grayscale sonography and color Doppler imaging as well as contrast-enhanced sonography. The sonographic appearance of littoral cell angioma mainly depends on the type and number of tumor vessels.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: correlation with pathological examination

To investigate the correlation between enhancement patterns of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and pathological findings. The CEUS enhancement patterns of 40 pathologically proven ICC lesions were retrospectively analysed. Pathologically, the degree of tumour cell and fibrosis distribution in the lesion was semi-quantitatively evaluated. 4 enhancement patterns were observed in the arterial phase for 32 mass-forming ICCs: peripheral rim-like hyperenhancement (n=19); heterogeneous hyperenhancement (n=6); homogeneous hyperenhancement (n=3); and heterogeneous hypo-enhancement (n=4). Among the four enhancement patterns, the differences in tumour cell distribution were statistically significant (p<0.05). The hyperenhancing area on CEUS corresponded to more tumour cells for mass-forming ICCs. Heterogeneous hyperenhancement (n=2) and heterogeneous hypo-enhancement (n=2) were observed in the arterial phase for four periductal infiltrating ICCs. In this subtype, fibrosis was more commonly found in the lesions. Heterogeneous hyperenhancement (n=1) and homogeneous hyperenhancement (n=3) were observed in the arterial phase for four intraductal growing ICCs. This subtype tended to have abundant tumour cells. The CEUS findings of ICC relate to the degree of carcinoma cell proliferation at pathological examination. Hyperenhancing areas in the tumour always indicated increased density of cancer cells.

The current status of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in China.

This review article provides an overview of the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in China. Currently, the only licensed contrast agent is SonoVue, a sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble contrast agent. In combination with a low mechanical index contrast-specific imaging mode, SonoVue-enhanced CEUS can be used to visualize the micro and macro-vasculature continuously. Since 2004, CEUS has been widely used in China in various clinical scenarios. The authors compared CEUS with baseline ultrasound or contrast-enhanced computed tomography with regard to characterization of focal liver lesions (FLLs). On CEUS, heterogeneous or homogeneous hyperenhancement during the arterial phase and washout in the portal/late phase are typical findings for hepatocellular carcinoma. The enhancement features of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, infected FLLs, focal fatty infiltration, focal fatty sparing, complex cystic FLLs, and uncommon benign FLLs were carefully depicted. CEUS was also used for patient selection in ablation therapy and evaluation of response to ablation for liver cancer. The utility of three-dimensional CEUS of the liver was also explored. In non-liver use, CEUS in hilar cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder, breast, and prostate was initially investigated. In addition, CEUS was used in interventional procedures such as CEUS-guided hemostatic injection, intraoperative CEUS in neurosurgery, and evaluation of response to high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of uterine fibroids. The Chinese experience has resulted in increased use of CEUS.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma: differential diagnosis with contrast-enhanced ultrasound

We assessed the usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the differentiation of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The CEUS enhancement patterns of 50 ICCs were retrospectively analysed and compared with 50 HCCs. Two readers independently reviewed the baseline ultrasound (BUS) and CEUS images and the diagnostic performances were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Time-intensity curves (TIC) were plotted for quantification analysis. In the arterial phase, peripheral rim-like hyperenhancement, heterogeneous hyperenhancement, homogeneous hyperenhancement and heterogeneous hypoenhancement were found in 25, 10, 3 and 12 of the ICCs versus 2, 29, 19 and 0 of the HCCs (P < 0.001), respectively. The diagnostic performance of both readers in terms of the area under the ROC curve (0.745 vs. 0.933 for reader 1, and 0.803 vs. 0.911 for reader 2), sensitivity (28% vs. 90%, and 44% vs. 82%) and accuracy (64% vs. 90%, and 71% vs. 90%) improved significantly after CEUS (all P < 0.05). The interobserver agreement increased from kappa = 0.575 at BUS to kappa = 0.720 after CEUS. TICs demonstrated that the intensities of the peripheral and central portions of the ICCs were lower than those of HCCs (both P < 0.05). CEUS improves the diagnostic performance significantly in the differentiation between ICC and HCC.

Enhancement patterns of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: comparison between contrast-enhanced ultrasound and contrast-enhanced CT

The aim of this study was to compare the enhancement pattern of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with that on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). 40 pathologically proven ICC lesions in 40 patients were evaluated retrospectively with both CEUS and CECT. The enhancement level and pattern in the dynamic phases on both CEUS and CECT were analysed. The diagnostic results of CEUS and CECT before pathological examination were also recorded. During arterial phases, the number of lesions that appeared as (i) peripheral irregular rim-like hyperenhancement, (ii) diffuse heterogeneous hyperenhancement, (iii) diffuse homogeneous hyperenhancement and (iv) diffuse heterogeneous hypoenhancement were 19 (47.5%), 9 (22.5%), 5 (12.5%) and 7 (17.5%), respectively, on CEUS, and 22 (55.0%), 3 (7.5%), 2 (5.0%) and 13 (32.5%), respectively, on CECT (p = 0.125). In the portal phase, the number of lesions showing hyperenhancement and hypoenhancement were 1 (2.5%) and 39 (97.5%), respectively, on CEUS, and 15 (37.5%) and 25 (62.5%) on CECT (p = 0.0001). CEUS made a correct diagnosis in 32 (80.0%) lesions before pathological examination; CECT made a correct diagnosis in 27 (67.5%) lesions (p = 0.18). In conclusion, the enhancement patterns of ICC on CEUS were consistent with those on CECT in the arterial phase, whereas in the portal phase ICC faded out more obviously on CEUS than on CECT. CEUS had the same accuracy as CECT in diagnosing ICCs, and so can be used as a new modality for the characterization of ICC.

Characterization of focal liver lesions using contrast-enhanced sonography with a low mechanical index mode and a sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble contrast agent

To characterize focal liver lesions (FLLs) using real-time contrast-enhancedsonography (CEUS) with a low mechanical index mode and a sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble contrast agent. CEUS was performed in 190 patients with FLLs, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n = 107), liver metastasis (n = 21), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) (n = 7), liver hemangioma (n = 37), focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) (n = 11), regenerative nodule (n = 6) and liver lipoma (n = 1). The cadence contrast pulse sequencing technique and the contrast agent SonoVue(R) were used for CEUS examination. The enhancement patterns during the arterial, portal, and late phases were evaluated. HCC showed hyperenhancement in 100 (93.5%) of 107 nodules during the arterial phase and hypoenhancement in 102 (95.3%) during the late phase. Liver metastases showed homogeneous enhancement in 8 of 21 (38.1%) nodules and a peripheral regular rim-like enhancement in 11 of 21 (52.4%) nodules during the arterial phase and marked hypoenhancement in 16 of 21 (76.2%) nodules during the late phase. ICC exhibited irregular rim-like enhancement in 4 of 7 (57.1%) nodules during the arterial phase and hypo-enhancement in 7 of 7 (100%) nodules during the late phase. Hemangioma showed peripheral nodular hyperenhancement, and progressive centripetal enhancement was seen in 35 of 37 (94.6%) lesions during the arterial phase. All 11 cases of FNH exhibited homogeneous hyperenhancement during the arterial phase and hyperenhancement (n = 1) or isoenhancement (n = 9) during the late phase. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value, respectively, were 88.8%, 89.2%, and 91.3% for HCC; 81%, 100%, and 100% for liver metastasis; 57.1%, 100%, and 100% for ICC; 94.6%, 100%, and 100% for liver hemangioma; and 90.9%, 97.8%, and 71.4% for FNH. Low-mechanical index CEUS permits real-time, complete assessment of vascularity in FLLs, which in turn facilitates their characterization.