Contrast-enhanced ultrasounds combined with serum AFP/TBA in differentiating hepatic hemangioma, primary liver cancer, and liver metastases

BACKGROUNDThe noninvasive differentiation of liver tumor nature remains a clinical challenge.While contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)/total bile acid (TBA) each have their advantages, the diagnostic value of their combined use remains unclear.This study hypothesized that combining these two modalities can improve the efficacy of noninvasive differential diagnosis of liver tumors while maintaining the consistency with pathological results. AIMTo investigate the performance of CEUS combined with serum AFP/TBA in differentiating hepatic hemangioma, primary liver cancer, and liver metastases by using pathological biopsy as the golden standard.