title: Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation: usefulness of contrast harmonic sonography for lesions poorly defined with B-mode sonography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of contrast harmonic sonography guidance in percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinomas that could not be adequately depicted by B-mode sonography. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Twenty-one patients with 21 hepatocellular carcinomas prospectively underwent radiofrequency ablation treatment with contrast harmonic sonography as guidance. Twenty-five patients with 25 hepatocellular carcinomas were retrospectively selected as the historical control group under the same conditions as the study group; the control group patients were treated under B-mode sonography guidance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty (95.2%) of the 21 patients were successfully treated during a single treatment session, and the remaining patient (4.8%) required two treatment sessions with contrast harmonic guidance. On the other hand, only eight (32%) of the 25 control subjects were successfully treated during a single treatment session using B-mode sonographic guidance without contrast imaging. The difference between these two groups was statistically significant (p = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrast harmonic sonography helps in the placement of radiofrequency ablation electrodes in hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas that cannot be adequately depicted by B-mode sonography.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kinki University School of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama 589-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Hobyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Chikara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiozaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods