Assessment of the vascular structure of the liver in viral hepatitis by contrast-enhanced ultrasound

Abstract

Aim. To determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in assessment of the vascular structure of the liver in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Materials and methods. Based on Clinical hospital №1 in Smolensk from 2018 to 2019 120 people with chronic viral hepatitis and 35 people with unchanged liver parenchyma as a control group were included in the study. All patients were examined by CEUS with 1,0 ml of contrast agent with subsequent evaluation of qualitative and quantitative parameters. Results. In statistical data processing it was found that the differences in quantitative parameters in the proximal and distal areas, contrast agent transit time from the arterial vascular bed to the venous one, as well as changes in the quality parameters have the most predictive value in the diagnosis of liver parenchyma lesion. Conclusion. CEUS is a non-invasive method for early diagnosis of changes in the vascular structure of the liver, including viral hepatitis, allowing to estimate the degree of parenchyma damage and on this basis to predict the further course of the disease in the format of a complex clinical-laboratory study.

Keywords

• contrast-enhanced ultrasound
• contrast agent
• quantitative parameters
• qualitative parameters
• arterial phase
• portal venous phase
• late phase
• chronic viral hepatitis