Türkhun Çetin
Advanced Radiology and Imaging - 2026;3(1):1-7
Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of color and power Doppler ultrasonography enhanced with the intravenous microparticle contrast agent Levovist in increasing doppler signal intensity and improving differentiation between malignant and benign liver tumors. Methods: Between December 1999 and July 2000, 21 patients who were admitted to the Gastroenterology and Gastroenterological Surgery Clinics of the Türkiye High Specialization Hospital were included in the study. Patients referred to the Department of Radiology who underwent thick-needle tru-cut biopsy or pathological examination of the postoperative mass were included in the study. Among these 21 patients (12 males and 9 females; age range 29-77 years; mean age 51.4 years), 18 had hepatocellular carcinoma and 3 had cholangiocarcinoma. A total of 19 patients (12 males, 7 females; age 21-71 years; mean 44.9 years) with 9 hemangiomas, 5 liver metastases, 4 hydatid cysts, and 1 liver abscess were selected as the control group. Results: During the examination, after the Doppler assessment was completed and the ultrasound contrast agent was administered, the values obtained were compared with previous findings. Similar to the literature, the color flow appearances of the masses were divided into four groups: (a) basket pattern (a view where vessels tightly surround the mass and may branch into it), (b) tumor vascularization (vascularization within the mass), (c) dot pattern (a dot-like appearance within the mass), and (d) tortuous pattern (tortuous vascularization surrounding the mass externally) (sinuous vascularization surrounding the mass externally). Conclusion: As a non-invasive method, contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography provides important information for the differential diagnosis in selected cases. We believe that, as color and power Doppler devices are further developed to allow examination of deep-seated and small intraparenchymal tumoral hepatic lesions and to reveal blood flow velocity in very small vascular structures, examinations using contrast agents to increase Doppler signal intensity will provide diagnostically important information.
