The role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the diagnosis of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis

To evaluate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) compared with ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (AE). Thirty-one patients with 43 hepatic AE lesions between January 2010 and September 2017 were included in the study. All lesions which were histopathologically proven to be hepatic AE were retrospectively reviewed. Features of the lesions by CEUS were retrospectively studied. All lesions were detected by US and CEUS in the 31 patients (17 males and 14 females) with a mean age of 38.5 ± 10.6 years (range: 16–58 years). The size of the lesions ranged from 1.5 × 0.7 cm to 15 × 18 cm. By US, 3 lesions (7%, 3/43) were hypoechoic nodules, 21 (48.8%, 21/43) were hyperechoic, and 19 lesions (44.2%, 19/43) were of mixed echogenicity type (solid-cystic). 27 lesions (62.8%, 27/43) had calcifications. Only 1 lesion was detected blood-flow signals. With CEUS, 23 lesions (53.5%, 23/43) displayed no enhancement in the arterial phase, portal phase and delayed phase on CEUS. 11 lesions (25.6%, 11/43) displayed a slight ring-like hyper-enhancement in the arterial phase and displayed hypo-enhancement in the portal and delayed phase. 6 lesions (14%, 6/43) displayed hyper-enhancement in the arterial phase and hypo-enhancement in the portal and delayed phase. 2 lesions (4.7%, 2/43) showed iso-enhancement in the arterial, portal, and delayed phase. 1 lesion (2.3%, 1/43) showed slight hypo-enhancement in the arterial, portal, and delayed phase. CEUS is a more valid technique for diagnosing AE than US. It could be a reliable tool in the diagnosis of hepatic AE.