Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the hepatic vein in normal dogs

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of the hepatic vein can assess intrahepatic hemodynamic changes and has been studied as a noninvasive method to assess the severity of portal hypertension and hepatic fibrosis in humans. However, few reports have described its usefulness in veterinary medicine. The purpose of this study was to characterize CEUS findings of the hepatic vein in normal dogs and assess the repeatability of this method both in a conscious group (n=6) and a sedated group (n=6). Sonazoid® (0.01 ml/kg) was used as a contrast agent, and scanning of the hepatic vein was performed for 2 min. Time-intensity curves were generated from regions of interest in the hepatic vein. Four perfusion parameters were measured for quantitative analysis: hepatic vein arrival time (HVAT), time to peak (TTP), time to peak phase (TTPP) and wash-out ratio (WR). CEUS examinations were performed three times in each dog. The median (range) values of HVAT, TTP, TTPP and WR in the conscious group were 13.5 sec (9-22 sec), 12.5 sec (6-24 sec), 8 sec (6-13 sec) and 78.0% (60.7-91.7%), respectively. Median (range) values of HVAT, TTP, TTPP and WR in the sedated group were 12 sec (8-17 sec), 12.5 sec (9-17 sec), 9 sec (7-13 sec) and 84.1% (63.0-94.4%), respectively. The coefficients of variation of these parameters in the conscious and sedated groups were 7.6-29.7% and 11.8-14.8%, respectively.