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Spatial Measurements of Perfusion, Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Liposomes Accumulation in Solid Tumors
Published on: August 18, 2016
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A Comprehensive and Repeatable Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Quantification Approach for Clinical Evaluations of Tumor
Connor Krolak1, Angela Wei, Marissa Shumaker
1From the Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (C.K., A.W., M.S., M.A.); and Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (M.D.).
Investigative Radiology
|October 17, 2024
Summary
This study presents a repeatable contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) protocol for quantitative blood flow assessment in liver lesions. The validated method ensures precise, reproducible measurements for effective treatment monitoring in longitudinal studies.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Hepatology
- Ultrasound Technology
Background:
- Quantitative assessment of lesional blood flow is crucial for monitoring treatment efficacy.
- Existing contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) methods lack standardized protocols for repeatable evaluations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define a comprehensive and repeatable CEUS imaging protocol and analysis method for quantitative assessment of lesional blood flow.
- To establish a structured quantification method for future clinical studies and longitudinal treatment monitoring.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of liver CEUS studies in 80 patients, with 40 lesions (primarily hepatocellular carcinoma).
- Utilized a standardized protocol with at least 2 microbubble contrast agent injections per patient.
- Employed automated respiratory gating, motion compensation, and time-intensity curve (TIC) analysis to extract bolus transit parameters (RT, MTT, PI, AUC).
Main Results:
- Achieved average interinjection coefficients of variation <21% for RT and MTT, and <40% for PI and AUC.
- Demonstrated high data quality with 95% confidence intervals for R2 values of fitted lognormal curves ([0.95, 0.96]).
- Found no significant interinjection differences or statistically significant differences between fitted curve and direct TIC calculations for most parameters.
Conclusions:
- The validated CEUS protocol and analysis method provide easily repeatable quantitative blood flow evaluations.
- The protocol achieves interinjection repeatability comparable to or surpassing current clinical 2D CEUS standards.
- The method offers a standardized approach for assessing perfusion changes in longitudinal CEUS studies for treatment monitoring.
