Sonographic and computed tomography characteristics of liver ablation lesions induced by high-intensity focussed ultrasound.
OBJECTIVE
The authors have previously demonstrated the ability of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to extracorporeally induce selective tissue destruction in the liver without causing damage to the intervening abdominal wall. The potential usefulness of HIFU as a noninvasive therapy for liver cancer has been suggested. This study observes sonographic and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of HIFU-ablated liver tissue in an attempt to assess the possibility of using these imaging methods to monitor the therapeutic results.


METHODS
A sonoablated lesion was induced in the liver in each of 20 rabbits with a HIFU therapeutic system. Sequential imaging of the hepatic sonolesions with sonography and CT was performed up to 8 days after treatment, and the imaging patterns were correlated with the histopathology.


RESULTS
Hepatic sonoablated tissue could be clearly visualized by sonography as a hypoechoic lesion. On contrast-enhanced CT, the sonolesions were depicted as nonenhanced low-density regions. There was good correlation among the sizes of sonography- and CT-depicted lesions and pathologic specimens.


CONCLUSIONS
In this model, sonography and contrast-enhanced CT were useful imaging modalities for monitoring sonolesion evolution after HIFU treatment.
Yang
R
R
Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.
Kopecky
K K
KK
Rescorla
F J
FJ
Galliani
C A
CA
Wu
E X
EX
Grosfeld
J L
JL
D000818:Animals; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy; D014463:Ultrasonography