Quantification of tumor vascularity and flow with amplitude color Doppler sonography in an experimental model: preliminary results.

This study was designed to evaluate a system to quantitate vascularity and tumor blood flow with amplitude (power) color Doppler sonography. The vascularity of nine transplanted murine tumors was determined with quantitated amplitude color Doppler sonography and compared to tumor vascularity estimated by histologic examination. The system used seemed to provide an accurate depiction of the vascularity of tumor vis-àa-vis histologic estimation of vessel density (r = 0.80). Time-activity curves showed greater flow in the experimental group injected with an exotoxin than in the group injected with saline solution. Vascular density quantification with amplitude color Doppler sonography also was more accurate when an intravascular agent (such as an exotoxin) was used than when saline infusions were given. This quantification scheme may allow the development of a system to assess the probability of malignancy and to monitor tumor response to treatment on the basis of the vascularity of the mass.