title: The value of ultrasonography for hepatic surgery.
abstract: Ultrasonography plays an important role in the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma. Ultrasonography detected 53% of 287 patients with small (less than or equal to 5 cm) hepatocellular carcinomas. Among 486 patients with hepatocellular carcinomas, sensitivities of intra-operative ultrasonography in detecting 451 small primary hepatocellular carcinoma nodules, intrahepatic metastasis in 330 patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma and 63 tumor thrombi were 98, 48 and 67%, respectively. The sensitivity of intra-operative ultrasonography in detecting small primary tumors was 10% better than ultrasonography, computed tomography, and angiography. The sensitivity of intra-operative ultrasonography in intrahepatic metastasis and tumor thrombus was two to three times better than pre-operative examination. Intra-operative ultrasonography was useful in detecting nonpalpable tumors and in guiding the transection of the liver, biopsy, and cryosurgery. Moreover, intra-operative ultrasonography made possible new hepatectomy procedures: systematic subsegmentectomy and hepatectomies which preserve the inferior right hepatic vein. Systematic subsegmentectomy guided by intra-operative ultrasonography resulted in better survival rates than the limited resection in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma two years after hepatectomy; by the sixth year, this difference was significant (p less than 0.05). Ultrasonography and intra-operative ultrasonography are indispensable in the early detection, accurate diagnosis, operative guidance and postoperative care of hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makuuchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosuge
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takayasu
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data