Microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasound in liver transplantation.

Abstract

The use of liver transplantation for treatment of end-stage liver disease is now commonplace. The accurate assessment of the pre-transplant candidate and long-term follow-up of the posttransplant patient is vital in ensuring that the limited resource of donor livers is appropriately used. Ultrasound is accepted as playing an important role in this process. The advent of microbubble contrast enhanced ultrasound provides new opportunities in terms of improving diagnostic accuracy and obviating more invasive investigations with their associated patient morbidity and mortality. We present the current and developing applications of microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the field of liver transplantation.