Clinical value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound versus conventional ultrasound in biopsy of focal liver lesions.

Background: Focal liver lesions (FLLs) are a common form of liver disease, and identifying accurate pathological types is required to guide treatment and evaluate prognosis.

Purpose: To compare and analyze the application effect of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and conventional ultrasound (US) in the clinical diagnosis of focal liver lesions.

Material and methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 682 patients with space-occupying liver lesions admitted to our hospital between December 2015 and August 2021. Of these, 280 underwent CEUS-guided biopsies and 402 underwent conventional US biopsies, with the results of each biopsy subsequently compared between the two groups. The success rate and accuracy of the biopsies and their relationship with different pathological features were also analyzed.

Results: The success rate, sensitivity, diagnostic accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the CEUS group were significantly higher than those of the US group (P < 0.05). Lesion size accuracy in the CEUS group was significantly higher than that in the US group (89.29% vs. 40.55%; P < 0.05). Lesion type accuracy in the CEUS group was significantly higher than that in the US group (86.49% vs. 43.59%), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The logistic regression analysis indicated that malignant lesions, lesions ≥5 cm, and lesions ≤1 cm were independent factors affecting the success rate of the puncture procedure (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of lesion size and type in the CEUS group were higher than those in the US group.