Ultrasonic diffraction analysis in the investigation of liver disease.

An ultrasonic analytical method has been developed which is capable of remote, in vivo differentiation between various types of soft tissue on the basis of differences in their gross histological structure. The method is analogous to that employed in X-ray crystallography and is referred to as ultrasonic diffraction analysis. A clinical trial of this method in the investigation of liver disease in 70 patients is reported, in which a total of 416 ultrasonic diffraction patterns associated with various liver conditions have been analysed and related to independent follow-up information. The existance of a malignant condition of the liver has been identified in 95% of the cases involving focal metastatic deposits and in all of the 11 cases studied where the livers had diffuse malignant involvement. Cirrhosis and secondary involvement of the liver due to Hodgkin's disease have also been shown to exhibit specific tissue signatures which enable them to be differentiated from other hepatic disorders.