Table 1.
Baseline clinical, laboratory, conventional ultrasound, and CEUS characteristics of patients stratified by lesion pathology.
| Characteristic | All patients (N = 166) | Benign lesions (n = 130) | Malignant lesions (n = 36) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Sex | 0.910 | |||
| Male | 114 (68.7) | 89 (68.5) | 25 (69.4) | |
| Female | 52 (31.3) | 41 (31.5) | 11 (30.6) | |
| Age (years) | 50.0 (50.0–53.3) | 50.0 (50.0–54.0) | 50.0 (47.8–52.5) | 0.985 |
| Height (cm) | 170.0 (163.0–170.0) | 170.0 (163.0–170.0) | 170.0 (163.0–170.0) | 0.563 |
| Weight (kg) | 65.0 (65.0–68.0) | 65.0 (65.0–67.3) | 65.0 (62.8–69.5) | 0.844 |
| Alcohol consumption | 0.386 | |||
| No | 146 (88.0) | 116 (89.2) | 30 (83.3) | |
| Yes | 20 (12.0) | 14 (10.8) | 6 (16.7) | |
| Smoking status | 1.000 | |||
| No | 145 (87.3) | 114 (87.7) | 31 (86.1) | |
| Yes | 21 (12.7) | 16 (12.3) | 5 (13.9) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1.000 | |||
| No | 153 (92.2) | 120 (92.3) | 33 (91.7) | |
| Yes | 13 (7.8) | 10 (7.7) | 3 (8.3) | |
| Hypertension | 0.752 | |||
| No | 150 (90.4) | 118 (90.8) | 32 (88.9) | |
| Yes | 16 (9.6) | 12 (9.2) | 4 (11.1) | |
| Hyperlipidemia | 0.724 | |||
| No | 154 (92.8) | 121 (93.1) | 33 (91.7) | |
| Yes | 12 (7.2) | 9 (6.9) | 3 (8.3) | |
| Fatty liver | 0.810 | |||
| No | 127 (76.5) | 100 (76.9) | 27 (75.0) | |
| Yes | 39 (23.5) | 30 (23.1) | 9 (25.0) | |
| History of malignancy | 0.706 | |||
| No | 155 (93.4) | 122 (93.8) | 33 (91.7) | |
| Yes | 11 (6.6) | 8 (6.2) | 3 (8.3) | |
| Laboratory variables | ||||
| Neutrophil count (×109/L) | 3.6 (3.5–3.8) | 3.6 (3.5–3.8) | 3.5 (3.4–3.5) | <0.001 |
| Lymphocyte count (×109/L) | 1.8 (1.8–1.9) | 1.8 (1.8–1.8) | 1.9 (1.8–1.9) | 0.002 |
| Triglyceride (mmol/L) | 1.6 (1.5–1.6) | 1.5 (1.5–1.6) | 2.0 (1.6–2.0) | <0.001 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 1.4 (1.3–1.4) | 1.4 (1.3–1.4) | 1.1 (1.0–1.4) | <0.001 |
| LDL-C (mmol/L) | 3.0 (2.7–3.3) | 3.0 (2.8–3.2) | 3.0 (2.5–3.5) | 0.586 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.6 (4.2–4.9) | 4.6 (4.3–4.8) | 4.6 (4.0–5.1) | 0.786 |
| Total bilirubin (μmol/L) | 13.3 (11.6–14.6) | 13.3 (11.6–14.4) | 13.4 (11.5–16.1) | 0.237 |
| AST (U/L) | 20.8 (17.0–23.0) | 20.8 (17.0–22.1) | 20.7 (15.4–25.9) | 0.664 |
| ALT (U/L) | 24.6 (18.0–27.3) | 24.6 (17.4–26.9) | 25.0 (18.9–29.6) | 0.209 |
| Glucose (mmol/L) | 5.2 (4.8–5.3) | 5.2 (4.8–5.2) | 5.2 (4.7–5.6) | 0.167 |
| CA199 (U/mL) | 17.5 (10.8–18.8) | 18.0 (11.9–19.7) | 12.2 (9.2–17.2) | <0.001 |
| CEA (ng/mL) | 1.8 (1.5–2.0) | 1.8 (1.7–2.0) | 1.5 (1.2–1.9) | 0.010 |
| Conventional ultrasound characteristics | ||||
| Target lesion location | 0.307 | |||
| Fundus | 67 (40.4) | 56 (43.1) | 11 (30.6) | |
| Neck | 34 (20.5) | 24 (18.5) | 10 (27.8) | |
| Body | 65 (39.2) | 50 (38.5) | 15 (41.7) | |
| Maximum lesion diameter (mm) | 8.5 (6.8–11.0) | 8.0 (6.4–9.5) | 12.2 (9.4–14.7) | <0.001 |
| Lesion shape | 0.145 | |||
| Round | 9 (5.4) | 9 (6.9) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Oval | 143 (86.1) | 112 (86.2) | 31 (86.1) | |
| Irregular | 14 (8.4) | 9 (6.9) | 5 (13.9) | |
| Broad-based attachment | 0.282 | |||
| No | 48 (28.9) | 35 (26.9) | 13 (36.1) | |
| Yes | 118 (71.1) | 95 (73.1) | 23 (63.9) | |
| Surface morphology | 0.015 | |||
| Smooth | 144 (86.7) | 118 (90.8) | 26 (72.2) | |
| Irregular | 15 (9.0) | 8 (6.2) | 7 (19.4) | |
| Nodular | 7 (4.2) | 4 (3.1) | 3 (8.3) | |
| Echogenicity | 0.542 | |||
| Hypoechoic | 82 (49.4) | 64 (49.2) | 18 (50.0) | |
| Isoechoic | 72 (43.4) | 58 (44.6) | 14 (38.9) | |
| Hyperechoic | 12 (7.2) | 8 (6.2) | 4 (11.1) | |
| Gallbladder wall thickening | 1.000 | |||
| No | 149 (89.8) | 116 (89.2) | 33 (91.7) | |
| Yes | 17 (10.2) | 14 (10.8) | 3 (8.3) | |
| Gallstones | 0.405 | |||
| No | 145 (87.3) | 115 (88.5) | 30 (83.3) | |
| Yes | 21 (12.7) | 15 (11.5) | 6 (16.7) | |
| Cholecystitis | 0.466 | |||
| No | 154 (92.8) | 119 (91.5) | 35 (97.2) | |
| Yes | 12 (7.2) | 11 (8.5) | 1 (2.8) | |
| Complete attachment to the gallbladder wall | 0.005 | |||
| No | 154 (92.8) | 125 (96.2) | 29 (80.6) | |
| Yes | 12 (7.2) | 5 (3.8) | 7 (19.4) | |
| CDFI blood flow | 0.143 | |||
| Absent | 107 (64.5) | 88 (67.7) | 19 (52.8) | |
| Dot-like | 40 (24.1) | 30 (23.1) | 10 (27.8) | |
| Strip-like | 19 (11.4) | 12 (9.2) | 7 (19.4) | |
| Contrast-enhanced ultrasound characteristics | ||||
| CEUS enhancement level | 0.111 | |||
| Hypo-/non-enhancement | 11 (6.6) | 9 (6.9) | 2 (5.6) | |
| Isoenhancement | 64 (38.6) | 55 (42.3) | 9 (25.0) | |
| Hyperenhancement | 91 (54.8) | 66 (50.8) | 25 (69.4) | |
| CEUS enhancement pattern | 0.414 | |||
| Homogeneous | 116 (69.9) | 93 (71.5) | 23 (63.9) | |
| Heterogeneous | 50 (30.1) | 37 (28.5) | 13 (36.1) | |
| CEUS-derived base width (mm) | 5.2 (4.0–6.2) | 4.9 (3.5–5.6) | 8.2 (5.6–10.1) | <0.001 |
Data are presented as median (interquartile range) or n (%), as appropriate. P-values were calculated for comparisons between benign and malignant lesions.
CEUS, contrast-enhanced ultrasound; CDFI, color Doppler flow imaging; DM, diabetes mellitus; TG, triglyceride; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; CA19-9, carbohydrate antigen 19-9; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen. Bold P-values indicate P < 0.05.