Retrospective Study
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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 28, 2014; 20(48): 18375-18383
Published online Dec 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i48.18375
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in portal venous system aneurysms: A multi-center study
Claudio Tana, Christoph F Dietrich, Radu Badea, Liliana Chiorean, Vincenzo Carrieri, Cosima Schiavone
Claudio Tana, Vincenzo Carrieri, Cosima Schiavone, Unit of Internistic Ultrasound, Department of Medicine and Science of Aging, “G. d’Annunzio” University, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Claudio Tana, Internal Medicine Unit, Guastalla Hospital, 42122 AUSL Reggio Emilia, Italy
Christoph F Dietrich, Med Klinik 2, Caritas-Krankenhaus, D-97980 Bad Mergentheim, Germany
Radu Badea, Department of Ultrasonography, “Octavian Fodor” Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Liliana Chiorean, Department of Radiology and Computed Tomography, “Octavian Fodor” Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Author contributions: Tana C designed the study; Tana C, Dietrich CF, Badea R, Chiorean L and Carrieri V collected the data and performed data analysis; Tana C, Dietrich CF, Badea R, Chiorean L and Schiavone C wrote and revised the paper; Dietrich CF, Badea R and Schiavone C supervised the paper; and Schiavone C accepted responsibility for conduct of research and provided study fundings.
Correspondence to: Cosima Schiavone, MD, PhD, Professor, Unit of Internistic Ultrasound, Department of Medicine and Science of Aging, “G. d’Annunzio” University, Via dei Vestini 29, 66100 Chieti, Italy. cschiavone@unich.it
Telephone: +39-871-358576 Fax: +39-871-358969
Received: April 27, 2014
Revised: June 18, 2014
Accepted: September 12, 2014
Published online: December 28, 2014
Processing time: 253 Days and 16.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Portal venous system aneurysms (PVSAs) are considered a rare disease. Ultrasound is the method of choice in the initial assessment of a suspected PVSA, by showing a focal enlargement of the portal venous system with typical color Doppler features. However, no studies have so far reported contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) findings. In this multi-center, retrospective, case series study we demonstrated, for the first time, that CEUS could be useful in the assessment and follow-up of a PVSA.