Abstract: Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of CEUS for small （<2 cm） hepatic nodules detected by surveillance ultrasound in patients infected with hepatitis B virus（HBV）. Methods A total of 77 liver cirrhosis patients with 86 small hepatic nodules（<2 cm） were examined by both CEUS and contrast-enhanced CT.Histopathology based on biopsy or surgery served as the diagnostic gold standard for comparing the sensitivity，specificity，and accuracy of CEUS and CT. Results Sensitivity，specificity，and accuracy were 81.0%，88.6%，and 84.9% for CEUS，similar to the corresponding values of 76.2%，90.9%，and 83.7% for contrast-enhanced CT.Two nodules were correctly diagnosed by CEUS but were misdiagnosed by CT. Conclusion CEUS shows similar ability as contrast-enhanced CT to characterize small nodules（<2 cm） detected by surveillance in patients infected with hepatitis B virus. However，CEUS may be particularly helpful for diagnosing suspicious lesions and for performing follow up.

Key words:  Liver neoplasm, Hepatocellular carcinoma, HBV, Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, Diagnosis