Construction and efficacy validation of a multi-parametric contrast-enhanced ultrasound nomogram model for discriminating hepatic inflammatory lesions from malignancies

BACKGROUND Liver inflammatory lesions and malignancies often have overlapping manifestations and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) enhancement modes, particularly in hepatitis or cirrhosis settings. Conventional biomarkers, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, have limited diagnostic accuracy in this setting. Therefore, an interpretable, multi-parameter CEUS-based machine learning (ML) tool may improve differential diagnosis and support clinic