Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40636785›Full record

ArticleiLIVER2025

Contrast-enhanced US and contrast-enhanced CT for diagnosis of focal liver lesions in liver transplant recipients: A comparative study.

Nong Gao, Dongli Wang, Xiuzhu Ma, Faqin Lv, Xiuyun Ren

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in iLIVER, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Nong GaoDepartment of Ultrasound, the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China.
Dongli WangDepartment of Ultrasound, the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China.
Xiuzhu MaDepartment of Ultrasound, the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China.
Faqin LvDepartment of Ultrasound, the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China.
Xiuyun RenDepartment of Ultrasound, Hainan Hospital, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Sanya 572013, Hainan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background and aims: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is widely used in the diagnosis of complications after liver transplantation. This study compared the diagnostic efficacy of CEUS with that of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) for focal liver lesions in liver transplant recipients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 115 liver transplant recipients who were diagnosed to have focal liver lesions at our hospital between June 2015 and June 2023. All patients were examined by CEUS and CECT and had a definitive pathological diagnosis. Based on the diagnostic outcomes, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of these imaging modalities in differentiating between benign and malignant lesions were calculated using a four-table method. Differences in diagnostic efficacy between CEUS and CECT with respect to pathological findings were compared using the chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test. The consistency of diagnosis between these modalities was assessed using the linear weighted kappa test. Results: CEUS identified 79 malignant and 36 benign lesions, while CECT detected 81 malignant and 34 benign lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy of CEUS and CECT in diagnosis of focal lesions in transplanted livers were 95.7% vs 97.2%, 97.2% vs 96.1%, 97.9% vs 97.5%, 97.2% vs 98.6%, and 96.4% vs 97.1%, respectively. Both CEUS and CECT demonstrated comparable diagnostic efficacy (κ = 0.899). CEUS showed strong diagnostic consistency with pathological results (κ = 0.912) and was more effective than CECT in diagnosing focal normal liver tissue and fat infiltration ( Conclusion: CEUS is as effective as CECT for diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions in transplanted livers but surpasses CECT in differentiating benign lesions, particularly focal normal liver tissue and fat infiltration.

Indexed as

Benign and malignant nodulesContrast-enhanced computed tomographyContrast-enhanced ultrasoundHepatic focal lesionsLiver transplantation

Identifiers

PMID40636785
PMCPMC12212716

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