1. Characterization of Adnexal Masses Using Contrast‐Enhanced Subharmonic Imaging: A Pilot Study
- Author
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Corinne E. Wessner, Norman G. Rosenblum, Christine H. Kim, Scott D. Richard, Andrej Lyshchik, Mehnoosh Torkzaban, Priscilla Machado, Kirk D. Wallace, Lauren J Delaney, and Flemming Forsberg
- Subjects
Adult ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Arbitrary unit ,Contrast Media ,Pilot Projects ,Malignancy ,Article ,030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging ,Diagnosis, Differential ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Adnexa Uteri ,Tumor perfusion ,medicine ,Humans ,Contrast (vision) ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Aged ,Ultrasonography ,media_common ,Ovarian Neoplasms ,Subharmonic ,030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine ,Radiological and Ultrasound Technology ,business.industry ,fungi ,Reproducibility of Results ,Small sample ,Middle Aged ,Image Enhancement ,medicine.disease ,Intensity (physics) ,Adnexal Diseases ,Female ,Nuclear medicine ,business ,Perfusion - Abstract
OBJECTIVES—: This pilot study evaluated whether contrast-enhanced subharmonic imaging (SHI) could be used to characterize adnexal masses before surgical intervention. METHODS—: Ten women (with 12 lesions) scheduled for surgery of an ovarian mass underwent an SHI examination of their adnexal region using a modified LOGIQ E9 scanner (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI) with an endocavitary transducer, in which digital clips were acquired by pulse destruction-replenishment SHI across the lesions. Time-intensity curves were created offline to quantitatively evaluate SHI parameters (fractional tumor perfusion, peak contrast intensity, time to peak contrast enhancement, and area under the time-intensity curve), which were compared to pathologic characterizations of the lesions. RESULTS—: Of the 12 masses, 8 were benign, and 4 were malignant. A qualitative analysis of the SHI images by an experienced radiologist resulted in diagnostic accuracy of 70%, compared to 56% without contrast, whereas an inexperienced radiologist improved from 50% to 58% accuracy, demonstrating the benefit of SHI. A quantitative analysis of SHI parameters produced diagnostic accuracy as high as 81%. Peak contrast intensity was significantly greater in malignant than benign masses (mean ± SD, 0.109 ± 0.088 versus 0.046 ± 0.030 arbitrary units; P = .046). Malignant masses also showed significantly greater perfusion than benign masses (24.79% ± 25.34% versus 7.62% ± 6.50%; P = .045). When the radiologist reads were combined with the most predictive quantitative SHI parameter (percent perfusion), diagnostic accuracy improved to 84% for the experienced radiologist and 96% for the novice radiologist. CONCLUSIONS—: Results indicate that SHI for presurgical characterization of adnexal masses may improve the determination of malignancy and diagnostic accuracy, albeit based on a small sample size.
- Published
- 2019