[CEUS--a robust method in daily clinical practice? A six month retrospective analysis]

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Ultrasound
• Radiology

Background:

• Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an emerging imaging modality with expanding applications.
• CEUS exhibits high accuracy and predictive values in controlled settings.
• Its reproducibility in routine clinical practice requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the real-world performance and reproducibility of CEUS in daily clinical practice.
• To assess the impact of CEUS on diagnosis and its role as a final imaging method.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of consecutive CEUS examinations over a six-month period.
• Focus on liver examinations and characterization of focal lesions.
• Comparison of CEUS findings with B-mode ultrasound, cross-sectional imaging, and histology.

Main Results:

• 68% of CEUS exams involved the liver; 83% focused on focal lesion characterization.
• CEUS clarified 95% of focal lesions and changed B-mode ultrasound diagnoses in 44% of cases.
• CEUS served as the final imaging method in 74% of exams, with 64% concordance to cross-sectional imaging and 77% to histology.

Conclusions:

• CEUS performance in clinical practice mirrors its efficacy under study conditions.
• CEUS is a reliable and robust imaging method for clinical use.
• The study supports the widespread adoption of CEUS in routine diagnostics.