Noninvasive Assessment of Liver Fibrosis in Patients With Iron Overload.

Objective: We assessed the diagnostic performance of ultrasound two-dimensional shear wave elastography (US 2D-SWE) to predict clinically significant fibrosis (CSF) in patients with serologic iron overload (SIO) and the subgroup with histologic liver iron overload (LIO).

Methods: A single-center retrospective cross-sectional study of adults with SIO (serum ferritin ≥ 200 ng/mL in females and ≥ 300 ng/mL in males) and suspected chronic liver disease with nonfocal liver biopsy results and US 2D-SWE exams within 1 year was performed. Histopathological fibrosis stage ≥2 and liver iron ≥2+ was considered CSF and LIO, respectively.

Microbubble Contrast Agents Improve Detection of Active Hemorrhage.

Assessment of trauma-induced hemorrhage with ultrasound is particularly challenging outside of the clinic, where its detection is crucial. The current clinical standard for hematoma detection - the focused assessment with sonography of trauma (FAST) exam - does not aim to detect ongoing blood loss, and thus is unable to detect injuries of increasing severity. To enhance detection of active bleeding, we propose the use of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs), together with a novel flow phantom and contrast-sensitive processing techniques, to facilitate efficient, practical characterization of internal bleeding.

Detectability of Hypoattenuating Liver Lesions with Deep Learning CT Reconstruction: A Phantom and Patient Study.

Background CT deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) improves image quality by reducing noise compared with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V (ASIR-V). However, objective assessment of low-contrast lesion detectability is lacking. Purpose To investigate low-contrast detectability of hypoattenuating liver lesions on CT scans reconstructed with DLIR compared with CT scans reconstructed with ASIR-V in a patient and a phantom study.

Reproducibility and Repeatability of US Shear-Wave and Transient Elastography in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background US shear-wave elastography (SWE) and vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) enable assessment of liver stiffness, an indicator of fibrosis severity. However, limited reproducibility data restrict their use in clinical trials. Purpose To estimate SWE and VCTE measurement variability in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) within and across systems to support clinical trial diagnostic enrichment and clinical interpretation of longitudinal liver stiffness.