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Contrast-enhanced ultrasound assessment of focal liver lesions with SonoVue

Ioan Sporea and Roxana Sirli

Focal liver lesions are frequently discovered in daily practice owing to extensive use of imaging methods. Their nature must be elucidated for prognosis assessment and to decide upon therapeutic strategy. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography with perfluoro-containing contrast agents is an imaging technique developed in recent years, with a similar performance to contrast CT and contrast MRI in focal liver lesions diagnosis, but it is less expensive and without the risk of ionizing radiation. It is a real-time method, thus allowing for rapid diagnosis using low mechanical index ultrasound waves. The vascularity and enhancement pattern of the lesion (hypo-, hyper- or iso-echoic) as compared with the adjacent liver parenchyma during the arterial, portal venous and late phases are evaluated for contrast-enhanced ultrasonography characterization.