Contrast-enhanced sonography with SonoVue: enhancement patterns of benign focal liver lesions and correlation with dynamic gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI

OBJECTIVE: Contrast-enhanced real-time low-mechanical-index sonography is a new diagnostic technique for the assessment of macro- and microcirculation. The purpose of our article is to describe contrast-enhancement patterns of different benign focal liver lesions using the second-generation contrast agent SonoVue and to compare these findings with those of gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. CONCLUSION: SonoVue-enhanced real-time low-mechanical-index sonography provides specific contrast-enhancement patterns of different benign focal liver lesions, allowing accurate characterization. Findings on SonoVue-enhanced sonography correlate well with those obtained on gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI.