[Usefulness of enhanced ultrasonography after administration of intravenous contrast agent in the evaluation of therapeutic effect in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, and efficacy of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) for residual tumor].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the usefulness of enhanced ultrasonography after the administration of intravenous contrast agent in the evaluation of therapeutic effect in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) comparison with dynamic CT, and to examine the efficacy of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) for residual tumor.


METHODS
Thirty patients (22 men, 8 women; age range, 42-76 years; mean age 60 years) underwent enhanced ultrasonography with the intravenous ultrasonographic agents Levovist, after transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) (n = 15, size range 23-35 mm, mean 25.3 mm) or PEIT (n = 15, 15-35 mm, mean 24.5 mm), to compare the therapeutic effect with dynamic CT. If residual lesions were detected by enhanced ultrasonography, we performed additional PEIT.


RESULTS
The evaluation of enhanced ultrasonography correlated almost completely with that of dynamic CT. Two residual lesions could not be detected by dynamic CT due to lipiodol, but enhanced ultrasonography and dynamic MRI showed them clearly. In total, eight residual tumors (3-15 mm, mean 8.3 mm) were seen. We performed PEIT on seven lesions and obtained good control for six months.


CONCLUSIONS
Enhanced ultrasonography with Levovist could be performed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of treatment for HCC, and could serve as be a good marker for additional US-guided therapy.
Nishiharu
T
T
Department of Radiology, Ohmuta Mitsui Hospital.
Maeda
N
N
Hara
M
M
Yamashita
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D024803:Biomedical Enhancement; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014463:Ultrasonography
D003287:Contrast Media; D011134:Polysaccharides; C059891:SHU 508; D000431:Ethanol