Influence of Data Parsing on Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Exams

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Ultrasound
• Radiology

Background:

• Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) generates large data volumes (cine loops).
• Reviewing full cine loops can be time-consuming and pose workflow challenges.
• Optimizing CEUS data review is crucial for efficient clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of different data parsing methods on physician diagnostic performance and confidence in CEUS exams.
• To compare physician review of full CEUS cine loops versus selected image sets.
• To assess the effect of time-interval image selection on diagnostic outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Forty CEUS exams were analyzed, including indeterminate liver/renal lesions, and post-treatment follow-ups.
• Exams were parsed into image sets selected by sonographers and systematic time intervals (10, 30, 60 seconds).
• Three blinded physicians reviewed full cine loops and parsed image sets, providing diagnoses and confidence levels.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in diagnostic performance or confidence was found between full cine loop review and sonographer-selected images (p > 0.42).
• Diagnostic performance at 10-second intervals showed no significant change (p > 0.18), but reader confidence decreased.
• Reviewing images at 30-60 second intervals significantly reduced both diagnostic performance and reader confidence (p < 0.045).

Conclusions:

• Sonographer-selected image sets from CEUS exams offer comparable diagnostic value to full cine loop review.
• This approach can mitigate barriers related to review time and data storage in clinical workflows.
• Systematic time-interval parsing negatively impacts diagnostic performance and reader confidence.