Sonazoid-enhanced Ultrasound in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatic Tumors

Sonazoid, a second-generation contrast agent, was approved for exclusive use in Japan in 2007. This agent has two extremely favorable features: (1) real-time vascular imaging ability, and (2) an extremely stable Kupffer phase in the postvascular phase for 10–60 minutes allowing multiple scanning. With these favorable features, differential diagnosis of hepatic tumors using Sonazoid-enhanced ultrasound (US) has been compared with Levovist-enhanced US or multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). Furthermore, a new technique, “defect reperfusion imaging” has made it possible to depict and diagnose nodules, which are not identified by B-mode US but are detected by MDCT. Thus, Sonazoid-enhanced US is a breakthrough technology in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic tumors.