Ultrasound-guided ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: time for a reappraisal?

Ultrasound-guided techniques play a key role in the clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma. Among these, percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) was the first technique to be proposed for the treatment of nodular-type hepatocellular carcinoma: the role of PEI was first discussed during the European Association for the Study of the Liver conference held in Barcelona in 2000, 15 years ago. Since then, other techniques have been introduced and radiofrequency ablation now represents the most widely used percutaneous technique.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis: survival rate and prognostic factors.

Background: The role of prognostic variables in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is controversial.

Aims: To evaluate the survival of patients with HCC on cirrhosis treated with TACE and to analyse the prognostic factors affecting survival.

Methods: From 1996 to 2006, 580 consecutive patients with HCC in cirrhosis were observed.

A prospective study of hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in thalassemia.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complication of cirrhosis. Due to blood transfusions, patients with beta-thalassemia (thal) are often infected with either hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV). In the past, many patients did not survive long enough to develop HCC.

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in compensated cirrhosis with radio-frequency thermal ablation (RFTA): a prospective study.

Background/aims: To assess the effectiveness and the safety of radio-frequency thermal ablation (RFTA) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) < or = 5 cm in compensated cirrhosis.

Methods: A cohort of 202 consecutive patients (165 Child-Pugh class A and 37 class B) was prospectively assessed. A single lesion was observed in 160/202 (79.

Focal nodular hyperplasia in normal and fatty liver: a qualitative and quantitative evaluation with contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

The aim of this study was to describe gray-scale appearance of liver parenchyma and focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) by pulse inversion (PI) ultrasound (US) at baseline and after contrast agent administration in patients with normal and fatty liver. Sixteen consecutive patients (12 women, 4 men) with 29 previously diagnosed FNHs (15 of 29 located in normal liver and 14 of 29 in fatty liver) underwent PI US before and after SH U 508A (Levovist) injection. Signal intensity values were measured within the FNHs and the adjacent liver parenchyma in selected images.