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

Table 2 Baseline characteristics of patients in the training group

Variable	Total	Training set (n = 190)	Validation set (n = 183)	Statistic	P value
Sex				2.149	0.143
Male	250 (67.02)	134 (70.53)	116 (63.39)
Female	123 (32.98)	56 (29.47)	67 (36.61)
Diabetes history				1.050	0.305
Yes	33 (8.85)	14 (7.37)	19 (10.38)
No	340 (91.15)	176 (92.63)	164 (89.62)
Hypertension history				0.087	0.768
Yes	51 (13.67)	25 (13.16)	26 (14.21)
No	322 (86.33)	165 (86.84)	157 (85.79)
Echocardiographic features				1.112	0.292
Mixed	216 (57.91)	105 (55.26)	111 (60.66)
Other	157 (42.09)	85 (44.74)	72 (39.34)
Lesion location				1.487	0.223
Left lobe	299 (80.16)	157 (82.63)	142 (77.60)
Right lobe	74 (19.84)	33 (17.37)	41 (22.40)
Border clarity				0.472	0.492
Ill-defined	275 (73.73)	143 (75.26)	132 (72.13)
Well-defined	98 (26.27)	47 (24.74)	51 (27.87)
Morphology				5.797	0.016
Irregular	219 (58.71)	123 (64.74)	96 (52.46)
Regular	154 (41.29)	67 (35.26)	87 (47.54)
Homogeneous enhancement				55.858	< 0.001
Yes	236 (63.27)	155 (81.58)	81 (44.26)
No	137 (36.73)	35 (18.42)	102 (55.74)
Cirrhosis				69.952	< 0.001
Yes	134 (35.92)	107 (56.32)	27 (14.75)
No	239 (64.08)	83 (43.68)	156 (85.25)
Hepatitis				35.315	< 0.001
Yes	296 (79.36)	174 (91.58)	122 (66.67)
No	77 (20.64)	16 (8.42)	61 (33.33)
Blood flow signals				111.642	< 0.001
0	132 (35.39)	20 (10.53)	112 (61.20)
1	100 (26.81)	61 (32.11)	39 (21.31)
2	90 (24.13)	72 (37.89)	18 (9.84)
3	51 (13.67)	37 (19.47)	14 (7.65)
Calcification				42.207	< 0.001
Yes	178 (47.72)	122 (64.21)	56 (30.60)
No	195 (52.28)	68 (35.79)	127 (69.40)
Age (year)	57.41 ± 8.26	59.34 ± 9.16	55.41 ± 6.68	-4.718	< 0.001
Body mass index (kg/m2)	22.96 ± 2.01	22.97 ± 1.98	22.96 ± 2.04	-0.032	0.974
Lesion size (cm)	3.80 (2.10, 5.90)	4.95 (2.50, 7.38)	3.20 (1.90, 4.70)	5.105	< 0.001
Wash-in time (second)	22.99 ± 5.25	21.24 ± 5.27	24.81 ± 4.59	6.963	< 0.001
Wash-out time (second)	137.00 (72.00, 210.00)	117.00 (64.00, 162.75)	183.00 (95.50, 252.00)	5.512	< 0.001
AFP	9.70 (6.20, 17.27)	17.07 (10.87, 23.52)	6.50 (4.38, 8.82)	13.616	< 0.001
MELD score	18.85 (15.98, 22.33)	21.88 (18.77, 25.53)	16.34 (13.64, 18.98)	11.503	< 0.001

Descriptive statistics of continuous variables are expressed using the mean ± SD (normal distribution) or median (quartile; skewed distribution); categorical variables are shown as n (%). AFP: Alpha-fetoprotein; MELD: Model for End-Stage Liver Disease.