Hookwire localizer as an aid for ultrasonic detection of small liver nodules.
We applied a V-shaped localizer and evaluated its clinical usefulness in nine patients with small hepatic nodules less than 2 cm in diameter. A small hepatic nodule was punctured with a 21-gauge localization needle under ultrasonic guidance, and the V-shaped localizer was pushed into the nodule with a wire. The localizer could be observed as a strong echo line by ultrasonography and as a high-density bar by computed tomography (CT). By this method, it was possible to precisely localize the nodule. Intraoperative ultrasonography became less time-consuming, and resection of the nodules could be confirmed with low-kilovoltage radiography.
Kasugai
H
H
Department of Gastroenterology, Center for Adult Diseases, Osaka, Japan.
Fukuzaki
T
T
Inoue
A
A
Tanaka
S
S
Tatsuta
M
M
Kitamra
T
T
Okuda
S
S
Fujita
M
M
Sasaki
Y
Y
Imaoka
S
S
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation*