Immediate evaluation and guidance of liver cancer thermal ablation by three-dimensional ultrasound/contrast-enhanced ultrasound fusion imaging

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility and value of three-dimensional ultrasound/contrast-enhanced ultrasound (3D US-CEUS) fusion imaging for the immediate evaluation of technical success and the guidance of supplementary ablation during the liver cancer thermal ablation procedure.

Materials and methods: Patients diagnosed with malignant liver cancer intending to receive thermal ablation including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or microwave ablation (MWA) were enrolled. 3D US-CEUS fusion imaging was used to immediately assess the technical success and guide supplementary ablation. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CECT/CEMRI) was performed one month after ablation to assess the technique effectiveness of the ablation. The registration success rate, duration time of 3D US-CEUS fusion imaging, technique effectiveness rate and major complications were recorded.

Results: In total, 76 patients with 95 tumours who underwent RFA or MWA and assessed by 3D US-CEUS fusion imaging were enrolled. The registration success rate of 3D US-CEUS fusion imaging was 93.7% (89/95), and the duration time was 4.0 ± 1.1 min. Thirty lesions received supplementary ablation immediately during the procedure. The technique effectiveness rate of the ablation was 98.8% (81/82). There were no major complications related to ablation.

Conclusions: 3D US-CEUS fusion imaging is a feasible and valuable technique for the immediate evaluation and guidance of supplementary ablation during the liver cancer thermal ablation procedure.

Keywords:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• thermal ablation
• ultrasound
• fusion imaging
• contrast-enhanced ultrasound

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81401434 and No. 81430038), Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China (No. 2014A020212136, No. 2015A020214009, No. 2017A020215082), Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (A2015257), Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, China (201704020164) and National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC0112002).