Background: Sonography is often the first imaging procedure to be used in diagnostic investigation of the abdomen. The aim of this article is to provide a new interdisciplinary overview of recent groundbreaking advances in this modality.
Methods: A selective survey of the literature in PubMed was conducted. The literature search was carried out in 2021-2022 and included publications over the period 2004-2022.
Results: The novel sonographic software techniques can be divided into algorithms that deal with conventional B-scan optimization and new programs that extend the scope of sonographic examination. The latter include elastography, contrast-enhanced sonography, and image fusion in combination with other cross-sectional imaging modalities. Elastography can be used to assess the presence of steatosis, fibrosis, or cirrhosis in patients with liver disease. One study reported diagnostic accuracy of 84-87% for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis (F2), 89-91% for the diagnosis of severe fibrosis (F3), and 92-93% for the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis (F4). Contrast-enhanced sonography is used for evaluation of tumors and trauma. A prospective multicenter study found sensitivity of 95.8% for the characterization of malignant lesions and specificity of 83.1% for benign lesions. Image fusion has the potential to improve the diagnostic assessment of parenchymatous organs, vascular conditions, and the prostate.
Conclusion: With continuous improvement of the B-scan and the development of high-frequency probes and novel investigation techniques, sonography has become established as an increasingly autonomous examination procedure.