Ultrasound in medicine & biology
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Ultrasound Med Biol · Feb 2010
Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography for the evaluation of focal solid hepatic lesions: preliminary findings.
This study was designed to investigate the potential usefulness of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography to evaluate focal solid hepatic lesions. In total, 51 patients with 60 focal hepatic lesions, which included 17 hemangiomas, 25 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), 15 metastases and three cholangiocarcinomas, underwent ARFI elastography. The lesions were classified into three groups: Group I consisted of metastatic liver tumors and cholangiocarcinomas, group II consisted of HCCs and group III consisted of hemangiomas. ⋯ With a cut-off value of 2m/s for the shear wave velocity, the positive predictive value and specificity for malignancy were 89% and 81%, respectively. Images obtained with ARFI elastography provided additional qualitative information regarding the stiffness and tumor margin of liver tumors. By measuring shear wave velocity, quantification of stiffness was made possible and showed the potential to differentiate malignant hepatic tumors from hepatic hemangiomas.