Liu Yanjun, Ren Weidong, Liu Caigang, Huang Kun, Feng Yueqin, Wang Xuemei, Tong Yuzhang
Department of Ultrasound, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001;
Oncol Lett. 2012 Oct;4(4):685-690. doi: 10.3892/ol.2012.819. Epub 2012 Jul 24.
The accuracy of diagnosing tumors may be improved significantly by detecting the microvascular distribution. Indeed, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) has shown a distinct advantage in detecting microvasculature. This study aimed to determine the angiogenic characteristics of VX2 tumors in rabbits using CEUS. A total of 17 rabbits were injected with 0.5 ml VX2 cell suspension into the muscles of both hind legs to prepare the VX2 tumor models. At 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after tumor inoculation, CEUS was performed on the rabbits with 0.3 ml SonoVue following a local anesthesia. The pathological findings of the tumors were compared. A total of 12 rabbits survived after being inoculated with the tumor cells and developed a total of 38 tumors. The size of the tumors ranged from 1.12 to 10.85 cm. Using CEUS, all tumors demonstrated rim enhancement with some unenhanced regions. Enhancement began from the peripheral region and quickly showed internal reticular vessels. Regardless of the tumor size or the presence of necrosis, no complete enhancement of the tumors was observed. On microscopic examination, VX2 tumor cells were detected in striated muscles, immature blood capillaries and fibrosis tissues scattered in tumor nests. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that CD34+ cells appeared mainly in the muscles adjacent to vessels. In conclusion, CEUS may be an efficient method to evaluate angiogenesis and blood perfusion in VX2 tumors.
通过检测微血管分布可显著提高肿瘤诊断的准确性。事实上，对比增强超声（CEUS）在检测微血管方面已显示出明显优势。本研究旨在使用CEUS确定兔VX2肿瘤的血管生成特征。总共17只兔双侧后腿肌肉注射0.5 ml VX2细胞悬液以制备VX2肿瘤模型。在接种肿瘤后第14、21、28和35天，对兔进行局部麻醉后注射0.3 ml声诺维行CEUS检查，并比较肿瘤的病理结果。接种肿瘤细胞后共有12只兔存活，共形成38个肿瘤，肿瘤大小为1.12至10.85 cm。使用CEUS检查时，所有肿瘤均表现为边缘增强，有一些无增强区域。增强从周边区域开始，很快显示出内部网状血管。无论肿瘤大小或有无坏死，均未观察到肿瘤完全增强。显微镜检查发现，在横纹肌、不成熟的毛细血管以及散在肿瘤巢中的纤维化组织中检测到VX2肿瘤细胞。免疫组化检查显示，CD34+细胞主要出现在血管邻近的肌肉中。总之，CEUS可能是评估VX2肿瘤血管生成和血流灌注的有效方法。
