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Evaluation of the Efficacy of Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Compared to MRI for Differentiation of Hepatic Lesions

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Compared to MRI for Differentiation of Hepatic Lesions

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03652636
Enrollment
47
Registered
2018-08-29
Start date
2019-08-05
Completion date
2023-07-21
Last updated
2024-10-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hepatic Disease

Brief summary

In patients with hepatic lesions, to evaluate the efficacy of contrast enhanced ultrasound compared to MRI in differentiating focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatic adenoma.

Detailed description

Hepatic imaging plays an important role in identifying and differentiating both benign and malignant neoplasms of the liver. One of the clinical and radiologic dilemmas facing hepatic medicine is the accurate differentiation of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and hepatic adenoma (HA). This is a question of some import, as there are significant prognosis and treatment differences between these entities, as well as overlap in the patient populations in whom they occur. FNH is the second most common benign neoplasm of the liver, with a strong female predilection. These lesions are usually asymptomatic and incidentally discovered, and carry only a small risk of complication such as bleeding. There is no malignant potential. Hepatic adenomas (HAs) are more rare benign neoplasms that also have a female predilection. However, these lesions are more likely to be symptomatic, and carry a higher bleeding risk especially as they grow over 4 cm. In addition, they harbor a small risk of malignant transformation to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Of note, patients may present with both types of lesion concurrently. Currently, MRI with hepatobiliary contrast agents is the standard for differentiation of these lesions. These agents (such as gadoxetate disodium, or Eovist) are actively transported into hepatocytes, which are present in FNH and only in very rare cases with HA. Previous research (such as from Grazioli et al.) has shown that hepatobiliary agents can differentiate these lesions with excellent accuracy. However, there is still overlap between these lesions on imaging, and for certain patients MRI may be difficult or impossible. FDA approval of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) agents in 2016 has opened a new avenue for abdominal imaging. CEUS utilizes gas containing lipid microbubbles to provide pure intravascular contrast, allowing for evaluation of vascular and solid organ perfusion. It has an excellent safety profile and is not excreted by the kidneys, allowing for use in patients with acute and chronic renal disease. It has been used for some time outside of the US for liver lesion evaluation, and the enhancement patterns of both FNH and HA have been described in the literature by Kim et al. as having different appearances. CEUS can be especially useful for focal liver lesion imaging for patients who cannot or will not undergo MRI, and it has the advantages of flexibility, increased temporal resolution, and decreased cost. This study aims to compare the utility of CEUS for differentiating FNH and HA with the current standard of hepatobiliary contrast MRI.

Interventions

DRUGSulfur Hexafluoride Microspheres

2.5 mL intravenous injection given at the time of ultrasound, with second 2.5 mL intravenous injection given during ultrasound as needed to improve visualization

Sponsors

Indiana University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Males and females 2. Age 18 years or greater 3. Scheduled to undergo abdominal MRI with contrast at a performance site for evaluation of a hepatic lesion(s).

Exclusion criteria

1. History of cardiac shunting 2. History of acute cardiac ischemia 3. History of hypersensitivity reaction to Lumason

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Accuracy of CEUS at Differentiating Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) From Hepatocellular Adenoma (HCA)One dayTo compare the ability of contrast enhanced ultrasound to differentiate between hepatic adenoma and FNH compared with the current standard of contrast enhanced MRI.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
AUC of Differentiating FNH From HCA (AUC Represents the Probability That the Model, if Given a Randomly Chosen Correct and Incorrect CEUS Diagnosis of a Lesion, Will Rank the Correct Higher Than the Incorrect)One dayTo compare the ability of contrast enhanced ultrasound to differentiate FNH from HCA

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
=Patient Population With Liver Lesion(s)
40 patients with liver lesion(s) identified in MRI
40
Total40

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject7

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic=Patient Population With Liver Lesion(s)
Age, Continuous36.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.9
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected— Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
40 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
38 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
2 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 40
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 40
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 40

Outcome results

Primary

Accuracy of CEUS at Differentiating Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) From Hepatocellular Adenoma (HCA)

To compare the ability of contrast enhanced ultrasound to differentiate between hepatic adenoma and FNH compared with the current standard of contrast enhanced MRI.

Time frame: One day

Population: 59 liver lesions were evaluated with a one time contrast enhanced ultrasound. Two blinded radiologists then evaluated the CEUS images and gave a diagnosis of FNH or HCA

ArmMeasureGroupValue (NUMBER)
Reader 1 - CEUS Sensitivity / Specificity Differentiating FNH & HCAAccuracy of CEUS at Differentiating Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) From Hepatocellular Adenoma (HCA)Sensitivity (true positive rate)66.7 percentage of lesions
Reader 1 - CEUS Sensitivity / Specificity Differentiating FNH & HCAAccuracy of CEUS at Differentiating Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) From Hepatocellular Adenoma (HCA)Specificity (true negative rate)71.9 percentage of lesions
Reader 1 - CEUS Sensitivity / Specificity Differentiating FNH & HCAAccuracy of CEUS at Differentiating Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) From Hepatocellular Adenoma (HCA)Accuracy (is the ultrasound assessment of the lesion correct)69.5 percentage of lesions
Reader 2 - CEUS Sensitivity / Specificity Differentiating FNH & HCAAccuracy of CEUS at Differentiating Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) From Hepatocellular Adenoma (HCA)Sensitivity (true positive rate)64.0 percentage of lesions
Reader 2 - CEUS Sensitivity / Specificity Differentiating FNH & HCAAccuracy of CEUS at Differentiating Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) From Hepatocellular Adenoma (HCA)Specificity (true negative rate)90.6 percentage of lesions
Reader 2 - CEUS Sensitivity / Specificity Differentiating FNH & HCAAccuracy of CEUS at Differentiating Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH) From Hepatocellular Adenoma (HCA)Accuracy (is the ultrasound assessment of the lesion correct)78.0 percentage of lesions
Secondary

AUC of Differentiating FNH From HCA (AUC Represents the Probability That the Model, if Given a Randomly Chosen Correct and Incorrect CEUS Diagnosis of a Lesion, Will Rank the Correct Higher Than the Incorrect)

To compare the ability of contrast enhanced ultrasound to differentiate FNH from HCA

Time frame: One day

Population: 59 liver lesions were evaluated with a one time contrast enhanced ultrasound. Two blinded radiologists then evaluated the CEUS images and gave a diagnosis of FNH or HCA

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Reader 1 - CEUS Sensitivity / Specificity Differentiating FNH & HCAAUC of Differentiating FNH From HCA (AUC Represents the Probability That the Model, if Given a Randomly Chosen Correct and Incorrect CEUS Diagnosis of a Lesion, Will Rank the Correct Higher Than the Incorrect)0.693 Probability of correct evaluation
Reader 2 - CEUS Sensitivity / Specificity Differentiating FNH & HCAAUC of Differentiating FNH From HCA (AUC Represents the Probability That the Model, if Given a Randomly Chosen Correct and Incorrect CEUS Diagnosis of a Lesion, Will Rank the Correct Higher Than the Incorrect)0.768 Probability of correct evaluation

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 5, 2026