Comparative study evaluating the role of color Doppler sonography and computed tomography in predicting chest wall invasion by lung tumors.

OBJECTIVES

To analyze qualitative and quantitative parameters of lung tumors by color Doppler sonography, determine the role of color Doppler sonography in predicting chest wall invasion by lung tumors using spectral waveform analysis, and compare color Doppler sonography and computed tomography (CT) for predicting chest wall invasion by lung tumors.

METHODS

Between March and September 2007, 55 patients with pleuropulmonary lesions on chest radiography were assessed by grayscale and color Doppler sonography for chest wall invasion. Four patients were excluded from the study because of poor acoustic windows. Quantitative and qualitative sonographic examinations of the lesions were performed using grayscale and color Doppler imaging. The correlation between the color Doppler and CT findings was determined, and the final outcomes were correlated with the histopathologic findings.

RESULTS

Of a total of 51 lesions, 32 were malignant. Vascularity was present on color Doppler sonography in 28 lesions, and chest wall invasion was documented in 22 cases. Computed tomography was performed in 24 of 28 evaluable malignant lesions, and the findings were correlated with the color Doppler findings for chest wall invasion. Of the 24 patients who underwent CT, 19 showed chest wall invasion. The correlation between the color Doppler and CT findings revealed that color Doppler sonography had sensitivity of 95.6% and specificity of 100% for assessing chest wall invasion, whereas CT had sensitivity of 85.7% and specificity of 66.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined qualitative and quantitative color Doppler sonography can predict chest wall invasion by lung tumors with better sensitivity and specificity than CT. Although surgery is the reference standard, color Doppler sonography is a readily available, affordable, and noninvasive in vivo diagnostic imaging modality that is complementary to CT and magnetic resonance imaging for lung cancer staging.