Hemodynamic and morphologic changes of peripheral hepatic vasculature in chronic liver disease: a preliminary study by contrast-enhanced coded phase-inversion harmonic sonography.

To investigate whether observing the morphology of the peripheral hepatic vasculature and the hemodynamics of microbubble arrival time in these vessels can provide useful information for the diagnosis of liver disease, Five normal volunteers and 16 patients were studied by contrast-enhanced coded phase-inversion harmonic sonography. Vessel images of the peripheral vessels were observed in real time after intravenous injection of Levovist. The time when the microbubbles appeared in the peripheral vessels was measured. Three patterns of morphologic change of the peripheral hepatic vasculature were seen, marked, slight, and no abnormal changes. The microbubble arrival times at the peripheral vessels were all shorter in patients with cirrhosis than chronic hepatitis or normal subjects. Marked, slight, and no abnormal morphologic changes of the peripheral hepatic vasculature in patients with liver cirrhosis were found in five, one and zero of the six patients, respectively. Those patients with chronic hepatitis, were found in one, six and three of the ten patients, respectively. There was a significant difference among the different groups (P < 0.001). Evaluating the hemodynamics and morphology by contrast-enhanced coded pulse-inversion harmonic sonography may offer useful information in the diagnosis of liver disease.