The role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of hepatobiliary lesions and its correlation with pathological findings

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in assessing hepatobiliary lesions, and to correlate the findings of CEUS for hepatobiliary lesions with those of pathological examination performed through fine needle aspiration. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective observational study included 50 patients with hepatobiliary lesions, who were referred for CEUS. The findings of CEUS were correlated with pathological findings. RESULTS: CEUS was determined to be a highly sensitive and specific imaging modality for the detection and characterization of hepatobiliary lesions, with the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of CEUS being 100.0%, 96.8%, 66.7%, 100.0%, and 96.7%, respectively, when correlated with pathological findings. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS is a highly sensitive and specific imaging modality for the detection and characterization of hepatobiliary lesions, with wide availability in the present scenario.