Purpose: To study the potential of contrast material-enhanced transcranial color-coded real-time sonography (TCCS) in detection of primary intracranial tumor vascularization.
Materials and methods: Primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors in 28 patients were examined with TCCS before and during administration of a transpulmonary, stable, galactose, microparticle-based ultrasound (US) contrast agent. All patients underwent cranial computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging; nine patients also underwent intraarterial digital subtraction angiography.
Results: All lesions were hyperechoic on B-mode US scans except one grade 2 astrocytoma. The location and extent of hyperechoic lesions correlated well with findings on CT scans and MR images. After injection of contrast material, color Doppler flow signals were seen in nine of 14 low-grade lesions and 14 of 14 high-grade lesions. High-grade malignant tumors always had atypical arterial and venous Doppler spectra with irregular distribution of Doppler shift and signal intensities; these atypical flow patterns were also detected in some low-grade tumors.
Conclusion: In addition to depiction of primary CNS tumors in B-mode, contrast-enhanced TCCS enables evaluation of vascularization associated with tumor parenchyma.