Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, Korea University.
Published online: January 1, 2001.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To determine the most useful sonographic technique to evaluate pleural effusion and ascites by compar-ing conventional, tissue harmonic and pulse inversion harmonic images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 12 patients having pleural effusion and 14 patients having ascites were included in this s-tudy. 18 patients were male and 8 patients were female. Average age was 54.8yrs(25-77). We compared images which had been taken at the same section with 3 above mentioned sonographic techniques. Evaluation was done by 3 radiologists in consensus and grades were given to 3 techniques from 1 to 3. Evaluating points were 1) nor-mal structures that border the fluid such as liver, peritoneal lining, pleura, 2) septation in fluid, 3) debris floating in fluid, and 4) artifacts. RESULTS: Pulse inversion harmonic image was the best in image quality for normal structures, followed by tissue harmonic and conventional image(p<0.05). Pulse inversion harmonic image was better than conventional im-age to evaluate septation in fluid(p<0.05), but there were no statistically significant difference between pulse in-version and tissue harmonic images, and tissue harmonic and conventional images. Tissue harmonic image was better than pulse inversion harmonic and conventional images to evaluate debris floating in fluid(p<0.05) but there was no statistically significant difference between these two latter techniques. Artifacts were most promi-nent on conventional image followed by tissue harmonic and pulse inversion harmonic image(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Pulse inversion harmonic image was the best sonographic technique to evaluate pleural effusion or ascites, However, Tissue harmonic image was the best for evaluation of debris.
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