Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026
Imaging and Quantification of the Hepatic Vasculature of Mice Using Ultrafast Doppler Ultrasound
Published on: July 19, 2024
Determination of peripheral color signal density using contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography in diffuse
1Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Toho University, School of Medicine, 6-11-1 Omorinishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo, 143-8541, Japan. patho@med.toho-u.ac.jp.
Insights
Contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography reveals increased intrahepatic vascular signals in chronic liver disease. Signal density correlates with disease severity, particularly in advanced liver cirrhosis.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Vascular Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Chronic liver disease (CLD) significantly alters liver vasculature.
- Accurate non-invasive assessment of these vascular changes is crucial for diagnosis and management.
- Contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography offers a potential method for evaluating hepatic hemodynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify hepatic vascular changes in chronic liver disease using contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography.
- To correlate ultrasonographic findings with histopathological data.
- To assess the utility of this technique in staging liver disease.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-two patients with biopsy-proven chronic liver disease (31 chronic hepatitis, 31 liver cirrhosis) and 8 healthy controls were studied.
- Contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography (CE-CDUS) was performed before and after administration of SHU 508A (Levovist).
- Histopathological examination of liver biopsies or surgical/autopsy specimens quantified small arteries (30-1000 µm).
Main Results:
- CE-CDUS demonstrated a significant increase in intrahepatic vascular signals post-contrast in all groups.
- Elevated signal counts were observed in patients with CLD compared to controls, particularly in Child-Pugh grade C liver cirrhosis.
- Histopathology revealed distinct arterial patterns: more 30-125 µm arteries in chronic hepatitis, and more ≤125 µm arteries in liver cirrhosis.
Conclusions:
- Intrahepatic color Doppler signals likely originate from peripheral arteries >125 µm.
- The density of these signals increases with the progression of chronic liver disease.
- CE-CDUS shows promise for non-invasively assessing vascular remodeling in CLD.
Purpose:
The study aimed to quantify hepatic vascular changes that accompany the development of chronic liver disease using contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography and histopathological examination.
Methods:
A series of 62 patients with biopsy-proven chronic liver disease (31 chronic hepatitis, 31 liver cirrhosis) and 8 healthy controls were studied. Altogether, 22 livers (9 chronic hepatitis, 13 liver cirrhosis) obtained at surgery or autopsy were subjected to histopathological examination. Patients with cardiopulmonary disease or intrahepatic tumors were excluded. Intrahepatic color Doppler signals were scanned and counted at the liver surface in a 10 × 30 mm rectangle from liver segment V using color Doppler sonography (SSA 380 A) before and after contrast enhancement with SHU 508A (Levovist). Small arteries 30-1000 µm in diameter were counted on the histopathlogical specimen by microscopy.
Results:
The number of color Doppler signals increased significantly after contrast enhancement in both patients and controls. The number of color Doppler signals was elevated before and after contrast enhancement when chronic liver disease was present, especially in cases of Child-Pugh grade C liver cirrhosis. Histologically, more arteries 30-125 µm in diameter were present in patients with chronic hepatitis than in those with liver cirrhosis, whereas more arteries ≦ 125 µm in diameter were present in patients with liver cirrhosis than in those with chronic hepatitis.
Conclusion:
Intrahepatic color Doppler signals are probably derived from peripheral arteries larger than 125 µm in diameter, and the signal density in these arteries increases with progression of the chronic liver disease.
More Related Videos
08:41Novel In Vivo Micro-Computed Tomography Imaging Techniques for Assessing the Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Published on: March 24, 2023
06:20Contrast-Enhanced Subharmonic Aided Pressure Estimation SHAPE Using Ultrasound Imaging with a Focus on Identifying Portal Hypertension
Published on: December 5, 2020
Related Concept Videos
01:25Ultrasound II: Endoscopic Ultrasound and FibroScan
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS):
01:17Assessment of Diffusion and Perfusion
The Role of Diffusion in Respiration
Diffusion is the process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. In the respiratory system, this...