Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 10, Issue 7 355-359, Copyright © 1991 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Sonographic recognition of intraparenchymal regenerating nodules using high-frequency transducers in patients with cirrhosis

A. Giorgio, G. Francica, G. de Stefano, T. Aloisio, P. Pierri, P. Amoroso and L. Tarantino
V Divisione-Ospedale "D. Cotugno," Napoli, Italy.

In 38 patients with cirrhotic liver, an ultrasound examination was carried out by using 3/3.5-, 5-, and 7.5-MHz transducers sequentially in order to identify hypoechoic intraparenchymal regenerating nodules less than or equal to 20 mm. Twenty healthy subjects and 35 patients with noncirrhotic chronic liver disease were scanned as controls. Focal lesions were disclosed in five patients: one case turned out to be a small hepatocellular carcinoma; regenerating nodules were diagnosed as such in four cases by means of surgery, laparoscopy, and fine needle biopsy. At a follow-up needle biopsy one year later, one of these nodules proved to be malignant. Use of high-frequency transducers offered little aid to the diagnosis of small nodules. In only one case were multiple lesions revealed with a 7.5-MHz probe but not with 3- and 5-MHz probes. It seems that intraparenchymal regenerating nodules are rarely seen with the available technology, and their recognition cannot be recommended as a reliable ultrasound diagnostic marker of liver cirrhosis.

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