Treatment response evaluation with three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound for liver cancer after local therapies.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the potential usefulness of three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound (3D-CEUS) in evaluating the treatment response for liver cancer after local therapies.


METHODS
A total of 107 lesions in 95 consecutive patients with liver cancer underwent local therapies and thereafter received low acoustic power 3D-CEUS examination. The LOGIQ 9 ultrasound scanner and a volume transducer were used and the ultrasound contrast agent was SonoVue. The image quality of 3D-CEUS images was evaluated and the influence of 3D-CEUS to clinical outcome was investigated.


RESULTS
The image quality of 3D-CEUS was defined as high in 102 (102/107, 95.3%) lesions and common in 5 (5/107, 4.7%) lesions. 3D-CEUS did not change the diagnosis in any patient compared with 2D-CEUS. However, 3D-CEUS changed the management in 3 (2.8%) of 107 lesions, increased confidence but made no change in diagnosis in 85 (79.5%) lesions, added some information but did not change management or diagnosis in 15 (14.0%), and made no change in 4 (3.7%), respectively, in comparison with 2D-CEUS.


CONCLUSIONS
3D-CEUS enhances the diagnostic confidence in the majority of the patients and even changes the management in some patients. 3D-CEUS has potential usefulness in evaluating treatment response for liver cancer after local therapies.
Xu
Hui-Xiong
HX
Department of Medical Ultrasonics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. xuhuixiong@hotmail.com
Lu
Ming-De
MD
Xie
Xiao-Hua
XH
Xie
Xiao-Yan
XY
Kuang
Ming
M
Xu
Zuo-Feng
ZF
Liu
Guang-Jian
GJ
Wang
Zhu
Z
Chen
Li-Da
LD
Lin
Man-Xia
MX
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010743:Phospholipids; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography
D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride