Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in Atypical Liver Nodules in Patients With Chronic Liver Disease

March 20, 2023 updated by: Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) Improves Characterization of Atypical Liver Nodules in Patients With Chronic Liver Disease

The present study aims to investigate the role of CEUS in evaluating liver lesions with atypical characteristics on contrast-enhanced CT or MRI. All patients enrolled in the study underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Based on CEUS characteristics, atypical nodules will be categorized according to CEUS LI-RADS classification.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This retrospective study investigates the role of CEUS in evaluating liver lesions with atypical characteristics on contrast-enhanced CT or MRI. All patients enrolled in the study underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound. All CEUS exams were performed, recorded, and analyzed by two experienced operators (>10 years of experience with abdominal US and CEUS). Based on CEUS characteristics, atypical nodules will be categorized according to CEUS LI-RADS (LR) classification. If the analyzed nodule shows a typical hallmark on CEUS (LR-5), that is arterial phase hyperenhancement with late-onset (>60 s) washout of mild intensity, it is definitively considered HCC and have been treated appropriately. Categories LR-3 and LR-4 comprise nodules with different combinations of arterial and venous phase enhancement features, expected to correspond to an intermediate or high probability of lesions to be HCC. Patients with LR-3 or LR-4 nodules underwent follow-up; in some cases they underwent biopsy.

LR-M is used to classify high-probability malignant lesions but nonspecific for HCC; these nodules underwent biopsy for further characterization.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • RM
      • Roma, RM, Italy, 00168
        • Fondazione Policlinico A Gemelli IRCCS

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients followed for liver cirrhosis or chronic liver disease with increased risk of HCC (HBV-related hepatopathy or fibrosis F3) and diagnosed with liver atypical nodules on contrast-enhanced CT or MRI.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • diagnosis of liver cirrhosis or chronic liver disease with increased risk of HCC
  • diagnosis of atypical nodules on contrast-enhanced CT or MRI

Exclusion Criteria:

  • less than 18 years of age
  • pregnancy
  • typical nodules on contrast-enhanced CT or MRI
  • non-visualized nodule on B-mode US
  • CEUS not performed or performed more than three months after CT or MRI

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The role of CEUS in evaluating atypic liver lesions on contrast-enhanced CT or MRI.
Time Frame: Between January 2018 and January 2023
The primary endpoint is to assess the contrastographic behaviour of nodules suspected of HCC and defined as atypical by contrast-enhanced CT and MRI, using CEUS. Prevalence of CEUS LI-RADS categories among atypical nodules will be described.
Between January 2018 and January 2023

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 31, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 6, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 6, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 16, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 22, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 20, 2023

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 4288

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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