Objective: To examine the efficacy of saline-enhanced ultrasound (US) in predicting the X-ray appearance of hepatic venography.
Materials and methods: This prospective study consisted of 50 cirrhosis patients (31 males and 19 females; mean age, 64.2±11.1 years). US patterns in the liver, after injection of agitated saline via balloon-occluded catheter, were evaluated with respect to the findings of CO2-enhanced hepatic venogram.
Results: US demonstrated two patterns: type I showing positive parenchymal enhancement (40 patients) and type II showing negative parenchymal enhancement with detection of hepatic vein (10 patients). There were also two patterns shown by hepatic venography: type A showing retrograde detection of intrahepatic portal vein (41 patients) and type B showing hepatic venous enhancement via intrahepatic venous-venous communications with no detection of intrahepatic portal vein (9 patients). All patients with type I showed retrograde detection of intrahepatic portal vein via hepatic sinusoid on X-ray venograms (type A). Of the 10 patients with type II, nine showed type B and one showed type A. Sensitivity and specificity of type I US pattern to predict the detection of intrahepatic portal vein on the venogram were 100% and 90%, respectively. There was no significant difference in hepatic venous pressure gradient or wedged hepatic venous pressure between patients with type I and type II.
Conclusions: Saline-enhanced US is effective in predicting the findings of hepatic venogram. As type II strongly suggests the shunt-modified venogram, image taking in these cases would be superfluous with the added advantage of avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure.