Efficiency of liposomal albendazole for the treatment of the patients with complex alveolar echinococcosis: a comparative analysis of CEUS, CT, and PET/CT.

We aim to investigate the efficiency of liposomal albendazole (L-ABZ) for the treatment of complex alveolar echinococcosis (CAE) using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. Twelve patients with CAE admitted to our hospital between June 2000 and June 2011 were included in this retrospective study. CEUS, CT, and PET/CT were used to evaluate the clinical efficiency of L-ABZ for these patients. Effectiveness was defined as significant response after chemotherapy. Effectiveness with clinical significance was defined as complete response after chemotherapy, and non-effectiveness was defined as no response after chemotherapy. Patients were followed up for 3-11 years. Ten patients (83.3%) had a ratio of averaged gray scale in the enhanced band to that of hepatic tissues of ≤1.1, and six patients (50.0%) had a ratio of ≤0.9 as revealed by CEUS. CT scanning results indicated an effective rate of 91.6%. PET/CT indicated a maximal standard uptake (SUVmax) of <2.5 in nine patients (75.0%), which was considered to be effective. A high uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose was observed in three patients (25.0%) with SUVmax ≥2.5, which was considered to be non-effective. Taken together, CEUS, CT, and PET/CT provide objective evaluation of the clinical efficiency of L-ABZ for the treatment of CAE.