This book aims to provide reader an overview of clinical applications of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in hepatic neoplasms diagnosis. Ultrasound images and pathological results of different hepatic neoplasms are introduced in the chapters, including benign liver tumors, malignant liver tumors, hepatic carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, rare liver benign and malignant neoplasms, regenerative nodules, inflammatory pseudotumor, parasite liver lesions, and hepatitis peliosis, etc. The combination of ultrasound findings with final histopathological results then discover the potential mechanical of contrast enhancement changes. With the development of ultrasound technology and widely application of ultrasound contrast agents (USCA) in recent decades, contrast-specific imaging modalities have been developed in combination with USCA and a low mechanical index (MI), allowing continuous real-time grey scale imaging. The updated contrast-specific software for liver diseases and hepatic tumors diagnosis has also been described described in detail. With high-resolution contrast ultrasound images during arterial phase, portal venous phase and late phase, author wants to show the whole dynamic wash-in and wash-out process of the different focal liver lesions.This book is an invaluable resource for radiologists, hepatologists and oncologists in their everyday clinical practice.

This volume takes into account the great impact of new technology on clinical practice for mass liver lesions. Its findings reflect a consensus meeting of experts assembled in order to develop guidelines for the use of ultrasound contrast agents in the diagnosis of liver diseases. These guidelines are presented in this book which provides an important starting point for clinical implementation of new diagnostic procedure.

The value of ultrasound contrast agents (USCA) in everyday clinical practice depends on the pharmacokinetics, the signal processing, and the contrast-specific imaging modalities. Second-generation USCA, are blood pool agents that do not leak into the organ tissue to be examined but remain in the intravascular compartment increasing the Doppler signal amplitude during their dynamic vascular phase. Taking advantage of the stability of their microbubbles, they can withstand the acoustic pressure of insonation much better than first-generation contrast media, which results in an increased half-life of the agent and, consequently, in a prolonged diagnostic window. Concomitant with the improvement of contrast agents, different contrast-specific imaging modalities have been developed which, used in combination with USCA and a low mechanical index, allow continuous real-time grey-scale imaging. These recent technical improvements have opened new possibilities in the use of USCA in a variety of indications. Written by internationally renowned experts, the contributions gathered in this book give an overview of current and possible future new applications of USCA in routine and clinical practice.

In the last few years, the development of sonographic contrast agents - or "microbubbles" - has stimulated increasingly intensive studies on the rela tionships between ultrasound and contrast media. As a result, "contrast -spe cific" hardware and software systems have been introduced by different ultra sound manufacturers with impressive speed. This has finally led to the birth of a very new imaging modality -"contrast-enhanced sonography" (CEUS). Since 1999, the introduction of second-generation contrast agents has represented a decisive step towards the extensive clinical use of CEUS and has simultaneously made obsolete most, if not all, scientific publications available so far. This book is, to our knowledge, the first to deal entirely with second generation contrast agents and the most updated contrast-specific software for noncardiologic uses. The reasons why the liver has been chosen as the only "target" of the book are easily understandable by radiologists and hepatologists alike. The study of vascularity is the only purpose of CEUS, and the liver has a unique vascular system, with two different inflow systems resulting in a single outflow. Furthermore, the pathologically different focal liver lesions (FLLs) are mostly characterized by different "models" of vascularity: CEUS can mimic contrast enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, basing differential diagnosis on the morphological and temporal characteristics of enhancement, but with the additional unique advantage of the study being done in real-time.

This book offers an image-based, comprehensive quick reference guide that will assist in the interpretation of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) examinations of the liver in daily practice. It describes and depicts typical and atypical behavior of both common and less frequently observed focal liver lesions. For each type of lesion, the findings on pre- and post-contrast images are presented and key characteristics are highlighted. Individual chapters also focus on the assessment of response to locoregional and systemic treatment and the impact of European guidelines on CEUS. The Atlas of Contrast-Enhanced Sonography of Focal Liver Lesions will serve as an invaluable hands-on tool for practitioners who need to diagnose liver lesions using CEUS in the major clinical settings: oncology patients, cirrhotic patients, and patients with incidental focal liver lesions.

This book is a comprehensive guide to the rapidly evolving field of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the child. The uses and interpretation of CEUS are clearly explained with the aid of numerous illustrations. The coverage encompasses both established indications, such as focal liver lesions, abdominal solid organ injury, and vesicoureteral reflux, and a range of newer applications. Extensive information is also provided on microbubble agents and their use in the pediatric age group, as well as on practical aspects of setting up a CEUS service for children. CEUS is a safe imaging method that is ideal for the young patient and can be used for problem solving in a number of clinical situations. Ultrasound combined with microbubble contrast avoids the ionizing radiation of a CT examination, the use of iodinated contrast, the need for sedation or a general anesthetic, and the complexities of MR imaging. In bringing readers up to date with best practice and the latest innovations in CEUS, this book will be of value for pediatric radiologists, pediatric sonographers/technicians, and pediatricians.

This open access book deals with imaging of the abdomen and pelvis, an area that has seen considerable advances over the past several years, driven by clinical as well as technological developments. The respective chapters, written by internationally respected experts in their fields, focus on imaging diagnosis and interventional therapies in abdominal and pelvic disease; they cover all relevant imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography. As such, the book offers a comprehensive review of the state of the art in imaging of the abdomen and pelvis. It will be of interest to general radiologists, radiology residents, interventional radiologists, and clinicians from other specialties who want to update their knowledge in this area.