A new policy published by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) will expand patient access to advanced ultrasound imaging and transplant options for liver cancer, the International Contrast Ultrasound Society (ICUS) has reported.
The guideline particularly addresses the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to assess certain liver cancers and determine whether a liver is healthy enough for transplantation, according to the ICUS.
OPTN plays a key role in the evaluation and allocation of livers for transplantation, and its guidelines and policies often have "a broader impact on the clinical practice of hepatology and the use of CEUS to evaluate liver disease," said ICUS board member Andrej Lyshchik, MD, PhD, of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in a statement.
"We cannot underestimate the clinical importance of having CEUS officially included in our imaging toolboxes," he said.
