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Title: Computed tomography, ultrasound, and scintigraphy of the liver in patients with colon or breast carcinoma: a prospective comparison

Journal Article · · Radiology; (United States)

A prospective evaluation of computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography (US), and Tc-99m sulfur colloid scintigraphy of the liver was performed in 189 patients who had either colon (n . 129) or breast (n . 60) carcinoma. Imaging was performed with fourth-generation CT scanners, gray-scale or phased array ultrasound scanners, and 37-tube gamma cameras. Studies were evaluated independently and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed. In addition, a standard 2 X 2 matrix analysis was performed. In patients who had all three examinations (n . 122), the matrix analysis showed that CT had a slightly higher sensitivity (0.93) than scintigraphy (0.86) or US (0.82); specificities were 0.88, 0.83, and 0.85, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. However, ROC curves showed that CT had the highest true-positive ratio at every false-positive ratio, and that US had the lowest. The performance of CT did not differ significantly from that of scintigraphy, but was better than that of US (p less than .05), especially in patients with breast carcinoma. Overall, CT provided the most accurate means for detecting liver metastases from both primary lesions.

Research Organization:
Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD
OSTI ID:
5394441
Journal Information:
Radiology; (United States), Vol. 149:1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English