The authors evaluated the practical value of intravenous sonographic contrast agent, Levovist
®, in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by ultrasound. In the first study, 17 nodules of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were studied by power Doppler sonography. After Levovist
® injection, the number of lesions with blood flow signal increased from 9 (52.9%) to 14 (82.4%). In the next study, a newly developed technique, contrast harmonic power Doppler (CHPD), was used. In 32 nodules of HCC, blood flow was detected in 30 (93.8%), while it was detected in 25 (78.1%) in dynamic-enhanced CT. HCC could be classified into two groups according to the blood flow pattern in CHPD; one was vascular pattern and the other was diffuse pattern. Tumors with vascular pattern were better differentiated in the histology compared with tumors with diffuse pattern (p=0.035). Ultrasound with the administration of Levovist
® seemed to be a promising diagnostic modality for HCC.
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