Background: The contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) liver imaging reporting and data system (LI-RADS) is a relative new algorithm for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) assessment.
Objective: To validate the diagnostic efficiency of the intravascular perfusion based CEUS LI-RADS for HCC.
Methods: Archives of 873 patients with focal liver lesions (FLLs) undergoing CEUS were reviewed, and target images were read by two sonologists independently according to the CEUS LI-RADS. The diagnostic performance was calculated and compared.
Results: Assessment with reference to CEUS LI-RADS, 87 of 218 FLLs (39.9%) were categorized as LR-5, 131 of 218 FLLs (60.1%) were categorized as non-LR-5, 19 of 99 HCCs were categorized as non-LR-5, and 7 of 119 non-HCCs were categorized as LR-5. The sensitivity, specificity, AUROC, positive and negative predictive values of CEUS LI-RADS for diagnosing HCC were 80.81%(95%CI: 71.7%-88.0%), 94.1%(95%CI: 88.3%-97.6%), 0.87 (95%CI: 0.82-0.92), 91.9%(95%CI: 84.1%-96.7%), and 85.5%(95%CI: 78.3%-91.0%), respectively.
Conclusions: The diagnostic efficiency of the intravascular perfusion based CEUS LI-RADS for the evaluation of HCCs is very good.
Keywords: Liver; contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS); focal liver lesion (FLL); hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); liver imaging reporting and data system (LI-RADS).