HEPATIC TUMOR DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION USING LIVER SPECIFIC US CONTRAST AGENT “SONAZOID“: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH BASE LINE US AND CT

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic ability of contrast enhanced US (CEUS) for hepatic tumors by using liver specific US contrast agent “Sonazoid“. Methods and Materials: This study was performed as a part of the third phase of Japanese clinical trial for hepatic tumor diagnosis and safety of CEUS using Sonazoid. We selected 14 hepatic nodules including 8 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), 3 metastatic tumors (META), and 3 hemangiomas (HEM). All the patients with those hepatic tumors underwent baseline US, CEUS, and enhanced CT. CEUS was performed at vascular phase (approximately 15–60 seconds after injection of Son…