Quantification of enhancement of focal liver lesions during contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Analysis of ten selected frames is more simple but as reliable as the analysis of the entire loop for most parameters

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability of the analysis of only 10 frames rather than of a whole clip in performing quantitative assessment of tumor enhancement of focal liver lesions (FLLs) following ultrasound contrast injection. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) examinations of 31 FLLs (median diameter: 30mm) were performed. All clips were analyzed and quantified with an early prototype of the SonoLiver software (TomTec GmbH, Munich and Bracco Research SA, Geneva), first evaluating the entire clip then selecting only 10 frames at different time intervals. Enhancement measurements obtained from the analysis of the entire clip or of only 10 frames were closely correlated (r=0.931 and p<0.0001 for Area Under the Curve; r=0.944 and p<0.0001 for Perfusion Index). In conclusion, enhancement quantification of FLLs can be reliably obtained from only 10 frames, rather than the entire clip, at least for most parameters, making such procedure easier for potential routine use.