Treatment of small hepatocellular carcinomas with US-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound.

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a noninvasive method that can cause complete coagulation necrosis without requiring the insertion of any instruments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HIFU treatment for small liver cancers without performing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) or rib resection. HIFU ablation was performed without rib resection or the aid of TACE or percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) in 12 patients with hepatocelullar carcinoma.