High Frame Rate Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound Helps Differentiate Malignant and Benign Focal Liver Lesions

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of high frame rate contrast-enhanced ultrasound (H-CEUS) of focal liver lesions (FLLs).From July 2017 to June 2019, conventional contrast-enhanced ultrasound (C-CEUS) and H-CEUS were performed in 78 patients with 78 nodules. The characteristics of C-CEUS and H-CEUS in malignant and benign groups and the differences between different lesion sizes (1-3 cm, 3-5 cm, or5 cm) of C-CEUS and H-CEUS were examined. The diagnostic performance of C-CEUS and H-CEUS was analyzed. The chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to assess inter-group differences. The receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to determine the diagnostic performance of C-CEUS and H-CEUS.There were significant differences in the enhancement area, fill-in direction and vascular architecture between C-CEUS and H-CEUS for both benign and malignant lesions (allH-CEUS provided more vascular information which could help differentiate malignant from benign FLLs, especially for lesions 1-3 cm in size.