The Value Of Contrast - Enhanced Ultrasonography Combined With Elasticity Imaging In The Evaluation Of Radiofrequency Ablation Of Liver Cancer

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined elastic imaging in the evaluation of radiofrequency ablation(RFA) treating hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods:Thirty patients(36 nodules) with final diagnosis of HCC were studied. All the patients were examined by contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS) and elastic imaging which contained real-time ultrasound elastography (RTE) and virtual tough tissuesquantification(VTQ) before RFA treatment and after one or two days, one monthand three months of RFA treatment.The results were compared with those of enhancedcomputed tomography(CT) or enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).Results:Before RFA,36 lesions were showed obvious enhancement in arterial phase and regression or enhancement in portal and delayed phase.After one or two days and one month of RFA treatment,36 lesions were found no enhancement in entire CEUS procedure,consistent with the results of enhanced CT or enhanced MRI. After RFA three months,35 of 36 lesions were found no enhancement in entire CEUS procedure,l of 36 lesions were showed enhancement at tumor margin in arterial phase, which was diagnosed as tumor resurgence. Compared with enhanced CT or enhanced MRI, the diagnostic accuracy of CEUS were 97.2%. There was no significant difference in the size of the tumor,the number of the tumor and the tumor’s location between CEUS and enhanced CT or enhanced MRI. After one or two days,one month,three months of RFA treatment, homogeneous blue or blue dominated the ablative area and distinct circumscription from liver tissue was showed on RTE image of all ablative lesions. The area of ablative lesions measured on RTE image performed before and after RFA correlated well with the measurement on enhanced CT or enhanced MRI (p> 0.05).The VTQ values of 36 lesions before RFA, one or two days after RFA,one month and three months after RFA were significantly different.Conclusions:CEUS can evaluate therapeutic efficacy of RFA. RTE may be reliable for depicting the form and the circumscription of the RFA lesions.RTE may be the noninvasive and quantificat method of evaluating RFA lesions.After RFA, the VTQ values were significantly increased.lt may contribute to evaluate the RFA lesions.Contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined elastic imaging can be more effective in the evaluation of radiofrequency ablation(RFA) treating hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).