Objective: To compare the enhancement pattern of low mechanical index contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in peripheral lung carcinoma with contrast-enhanced helical CT (CECT).
Methods: Thirty-five patients with peripheral lung carcinoma underwent CEUS performed with the contrast agent SonoVue at a low mechanical index contrast specific mode and CECT performed with the contrast agent Ultravist at a standard biphasic helical CT scanning protocol. The enhancement pattern related to tumor vascularity was analyzed.
Results: By using contrast-enhanced sonography, hyper-enhancement patterns were manifested in 57.1% (20/35) of the lesions and hypo-enhancement in 40% (14/35); both not significantly different from those manifested by using CECT [42.9% (15/35) and 54.3% (19/35) of the lesions respectively, both P > 0.05]. By using CEUS, inhomogeneous enhancement pattern rate in the lesions was 68.6% (24/35) and the homogeneous enhancement rate was 28.6%(10/35), both not significantly different from those of the CECT group [74.3% (26/35) and 22.9% (8/35) respectively, both P > 0.05]. The non-enhancement rates of CEUS and CECT group were both 2.9% (1/35). The enhancement intensity dB value of the CEUS group was positively correlated with the CT value of the CECT tumors (r = 0.836, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced sonography is similar to that of enhancement CT in detecting peripheral lung carcinoma's vascularity.