The studies, also published in the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, show that contrast-enhanced ultrasound is a better, less expensive alternative to MRI for newly-identified liver and kidney nodules.

A team led by Dr. Stephanie Wilson of the University of Calgary in Canada found that CEUS identified malignant or pre-malignant liver lesions that would likely have been missed or delayed if CEUS had not been used. Another group led by Dr. Richard Barr of Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown found that when CEUS shows a kidney mass to be benign, no further follow-up is necessary.