GRADING SEVERITY OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASES BY A SECOND GENERATION ULTRASOUND CONTRAST AGENT: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Purpose: Standard ultrasonography associated with Doppler study of splanchnic vessels are neither sensitive nor specific enough to assess chronic liver disease severity. Ultrasound contrast agents, are able to detect haemodynamic changes that occur in liver diseases. Second generation ultrasound contrast agents, composed by stabilized microbubbles, showed a longer Doppler signal intensity than first generation ones. Methods and Materials: To evaluate whether second generation ultrasound contrast agents can grade diffuse liver disease severity, 21 patients (18 males, mean age 55.5 years) were enrolled: 7 patients…