Abstract: Objective To explore the contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic features for quantitative assessment of hepatic fibrosis.
Methods 86 patients with chronic viral hepatitis B were enrolled in this study from March 2007 to August 2009. The patients were classified into 5 groups (S₀-S₄) according to fibrosis stage evaluated with ultrasound guided liver biopsy. New contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) features including area under the time-intensity curve (TIC) of portal venous phase/hepatic arterial phase (Q_p/Q_a) and intensity of portal venous phase/hepatic arterial phase (Ip/Ia) were used to detect the blood supply ratio (portal vein/hepatic artery) in each group. Arrival time of portal vein trunk (T_p) and decreasing rate of TIC (β) were also analyzed.
Results Q_p/Q_a and I_p/I_a decreased from S₀ to S₄, while T_p and β increased. These 4 features were significantly correlated with the degree of fibrosis (P<0.001) and were significantly different among the five groups (P<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of Ip/Ia were 80% and 86% for groups ≥S1, 75% and 86% for groups ≥ S₂, 71% and 84% for groups ≥ S₃, and 76% and 80% for group S₄, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of Q_p/Q_a were 70% and 88% for groups ≥ S₁, 80% and 76% for groups ≥ S₂, 74% and 70% for groups ≥ S₃, and 81% and 95% for group S₄, respectively.
Conclusion I_p/I_a and Q_p/Q_a could be adopted as reliable, non-invasive features for quantitative assessment of hepatic fibrosis.

Key words: hepatic fibrosis, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, quantitative, non-invasive

Funding:

Supported by PhD Programs Foundation of Ministry of Educ- ation of China (No. 20090001110092).