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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ultrasound Int Open 2020; 06(03): E76-E86
DOI: 10.1055/a-1347-5875
Review

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in Non-Traumatic Abdominal Emergencies

Diletta Cozzi 
1   Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Emergency Radiology, Firenze, Italy
,
Simone Agostini
1   Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Emergency Radiology, Firenze, Italy
,
Elena Bertelli
1   Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Emergency Radiology, Firenze, Italy
,
Michele Galluzzo
2   Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Emergency Radiology, Roma, Italy
,
Emanuela Papa
3   Ospedale Sandro Pertini, Interventional Radiology, Roma, Italy
,
Germano Scevola 
3   Ospedale Sandro Pertini, Interventional Radiology, Roma, Italy
,
Margherita Trinci
2   Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Emergency Radiology, Roma, Italy
,
Vittorio Miele
1   Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Emergency Radiology, Firenze, Italy
› Author Affiliations Funding The authors declare that they did not receive any funding for the publication of this article.
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Abstract

Conventional ultrasound imaging (US) is the first-line investigation in acute non-traumatic abdominal emergencies, but sometimes it needs further examinations, such as computed tomography (CT), to reach a certain diagnosis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), through injection of contrast medium, may provide the radiologist with additional information that could not be investigated with baseline US. It could help reach a diagnosis and rapidly determine the proper therapy in an emergency setting. The purpose of this review is to explain and illustrate the various possibilities and limitations of CEUS in acute non-traumatic abdominal diseases, in particular acute inflammation, parenchymal infarcts, and hemorrhages.

Key words

ultrasound; CT  - acute - abdomen 


Publication History

Received: 03 August 2020

Accepted after revision: 01 May 2021

Article published online:
12 March 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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