Hiroki Yoshiara

KUPFFER-PHASE FINDINGS OF HEPATIC HEMANGIOMAS IN CONTRAST-ENHANCED ULTRASOUND WITH SONAZOID

The aim of this study was to assess quantitatively the Kupffer-phase enhancement patterns of hepatic hemangiomas in contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with Sonazoid. A total of 46 patients with 46 hepatic hemangiomas (17.1 ± 6.2 mm in diameter, 34 typical type and 12 high-flow type) underwent CEUS in the Kupffer phase. The lesion-to-liver contrast ratio in the Kupffer phase was quantitatively assessed for both types of hemangioma. Most of the hepatic hemangiomas, whether or not they were the high-flow type, were iso- to hypo-echoic relative to the surrounding liver parenchyma. The contrast ratio was -5.33 ± 6.70 dB for the high-flow hemangiomas and -4.54 ± 6.28 dB for the typical hemangiomas. There was no significant difference in contrast ratio between the two types of lesions (p = 0.73). All of the hemangiomas, whether of typical or high-flow type, are iso- to hypo-echoic relative to the surrounding liver parenchyma on Kupffer-phase imaging.

A semi‐quantitative method in microbubble‐based ultrasound contrast imaging.

The aim of our study is to construct a semi‐quantitative tool which can simply represent the measurable blood flow with a microbubble‐based contrast agent. The possibilities of quantifying the blood flow are explored by many researchers to classify the tumors or to evaluate the response to anti‐angiogenic therapy. Flash‐replenishment (FR) sequence, which utilizes destruction of the bubbles by ultrasound exposure and observes reperfusion into the scan volume, has become a more applicable technique in contrast echography. The theoretical equations in FR sequence have been described to quantify hepatic parenchymal blood flow. The arrival time 2‐D mapping was developed to acquire such diagnostic information easily in the routine examinations. This method watches the inflow of the microbubble in the scan image and paints colors pixel‐by‐pixel corresponding to the time of arrival. Results of the efficiency of this method will be shown, not only for tumor characterization but also for quantifying the fibrosis st...