Ultrasonography of small hepatic tumors using high-resolution linear-array real-time instruments

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Hepatology
• Oncology

Background:

• Early detection of small liver tumors is crucial for effective treatment.
• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cavernous hemangioma are common liver lesions.
• Accurate imaging and biopsy are essential for diagnosing liver lesions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the sensitivity of abdominal ultrasonography with other imaging modalities for detecting small liver tumors.
• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound-guided aspiration cytology and biopsy.
• To assess the utility of intraoperative ultrasound in HCC resection.

Main Methods:

• Abdominal ultrasonography with a high-resolution linear-array real-time scanner.
• Comparison with computed tomography, celiac arteriography, and radionuclide imaging.
• Ultrasound-guided aspiration cytology and/or biopsy.
• Intraoperative ultrasound.

Main Results:

• Ultrasound demonstrated the highest sensitivity in detecting small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), cavernous hemangiomas, and metastatic liver tumors (<3 cm).
• Small HCCs typically appeared hypoechoic, while small hemangiomas were predominantly hyperechoic on ultrasound.
• Ultrasound-guided biopsy achieved 92.3% accuracy for HCC and 100% for hemangioma.
• Intraoperative ultrasound facilitated resection in 8 out of 19 small HCC cases.

Conclusions:

• Real-time abdominal ultrasonography is a highly sensitive tool for the early detection of small liver tumors.
• Ultrasound-guided biopsy provides accurate tissue diagnosis for small HCCs and hemangiomas.
• Intraoperative ultrasound is valuable for guiding surgical resection of small HCCs.