Evaluation of tissue harmonic imaging for the diagnosis of focal liver lesions

This was a prospective study to evaluate tissue harmonic imaging (THI) for the diagnosis of focal liver lesions, A total of 15 reviewers read 100 rand omly arranged liver images, a fundamental grey-scale image (FGI) and a THI (transmitted: 2 MHz, received: 4 MHz) of each of 50 patients (29 with liver cirrhosis, 42 with focal lesions) taken from the same section. The mean va lue of overall accuracy for detecting lesions (presence or absence) was sig nificantly higher with THI (82.3%) than with FGI (79.6%) (t = 1.96, p < 0.0 5). When only the 29 cirrhosis patients were analyzed, the difference was m ore significant (t = 2.48, p < 0.02). The correct count rate of the number of focal lesions was higher with THI (78.0%) than with FGI (67.0%) (t = 3.6 1, p < 0.005) in 23 cirrhosis patients with focal lesions. The correct diag nosis of HCC was achieved at a higher rate with THI (42.5%) than with FGI ( 36.8%), THI was statistically effective for detecting focal lesions, partic ularly in cirrhotic livers. (C) 2000 World Federation for Ultrasound in Med icine & Biology.