First-Pass Arrival Interval of Ultrasound Contrast Medium in the Hepatic Artery and Portal Vein as a Marker for Assessment of Liver Transplant Recipients

Quantitative Analysis of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Images of Brain-Dead Donor Livers: Prediction of Early Allograft Dysfunction

OBJECTIVE

To determine the CEUS parameters that predict the likelihood of postoperative EAD.

METHODS

Clinical and imaging data for 75 pairs of donors and recipients collected between September 2022 and July 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Subjects were divided into those with early allograft dysfunction (EAD) and those without EAD. The liver parenchyma was selected as the region of interest to plot the CEUS time-intensity curve. CEUS parameters were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Peak intensity, area under the curve (AUC), and cholinesterase values were significantly lower in the EAD group than in the non-EAD group. The hepatic arterial-portal arrival interval (APAI) and aspartate aminotransferase level were significantly higher in the EAD group. Multivariate logistic analysis identified the APAI to be an independent risk factor for EAD (odds ratio 0.755; 95% confidence interval 0.577-0.989; p = 0.041). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the prediction probability P, which represents a combination of CEUS and clinical data, was best able to predict EAD (AUC 0.802; 95% confidence interval 0.679-0.926; p < 0.0001). Comparison of the AUC for prediction probability P and each single parameter identified statistically significant differences between the predicted probability P and aspartate aminotransferase and cholinesterase values (p = 0.042 and p = 0.020, respectively).

CONCLUSION

A longer APAI can be used as a biomarker to predict EAD after brain-dead donor liver transplantation. CEUS could be a valuable tool for assessment of donor livers and identifying recipients potentially at risk of developing postoperative EAD.

Review of Clinical Applications of Sonazoid Ultrasound Contrast for Liver Evaluation

ABSTRACT

Sonazoid is a new ultrasound contrast agent with unique Kupffer phase imaging advantages and high mechanical index stability. This paper introduces the basic theories and advantages of Sonazoid ultrasound. Then, the application and latest advances of Sonazoid in the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases are reviewed in detail. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of Sonazoid ultrasound and its future directions are discussed. Sonazoid is expected to become an important tool for clinical ultrasound diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnostic accuracy of hepatic vein arrival time performed with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for HCV liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) has increased considerably the use of ultrasound for hemodynamical analyses and quantification. Bolus injection of microbubble agents is used to evaluate transit times. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of arrival time (seconds) to the hepatic artery (HAAT), hepatic vein (HVAT), and portal vein (PVAT), based on CEUS used for the diagnosis of cirrhosis, and to correlate these arrival times with the liver stiffness and disease severity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study evaluated 29 HCV cirrhotic and 19 chronic hepatitis C patients. History, clinical examination, laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasonography, point shear-wave elastography (pSWE), and CEUS were conducted.

RESULTS

The mean liver stiffness increased significantly in cirrhotic versus chronic HCV (22.7 versus 5.1; p-value < 0.001). The mean HAAT (p-value = 0.001), PVAT (p-value = 0.002), and HVAT values (p-value: 0.001) were significantly prolonged in cirrhotic compared with chronic HCV. The HVAT cut-off point of cirrhotic patients was 18 s with a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 96.6%, 63.2%, and 83.3%, respectively (area under curve: 0.801). Significant positive correlation was found between liver stiffness (kPa) and HVAT (s) (r = 0.585; p-value = 0.005). No significant correlation was detected between HVAT (s) and the severity of liver disease, as assessed by the Child or MELD scores in cirrhotic patients.

CONCLUSION

Measuring HVAT by CEUS yielded high-accuracy and correlation outcomes for cirrhosis detection. It could be a valuable noninvasive method for the diagnosis of cirrhosis.