Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) using microbubble ultrasonography contrast agent can show the vascular structure and unique contrast enhancement patterns of focal liver lesions, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CEUS shows three phases, similar to a vascular pattern on computer tomography (CT), and typical arterial enhancement and portal or late phase washout in HCC. CEUS can show real-time images without nephrotoxicity or radiation hazard and can be used as guidance for loco-regional treatment and estimation of treatment response of HCC. In addition, some data recently revealed the usefulness of CEUS in the early estimation of response to anti-cancer pharmacological (i.e., sorafenib) therapy in advanced HCC. Although CEUS has limitations in clinical practice and more investigation is needed for its validation, it is recommended as a main diagnostic modality in a few major clinical practice guidelines for HCC. Thus, greater understanding of CEUS is necessary to extend its application in real practice for diagnosis and management of diseases.
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Contrast enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) using microbubble ultrasonography agent
is able to show the vascular structure and enhancement patterns of lesions, so it has an
worth in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) which is a typical cancer that has
a characteristic neovascularization. CEUS shows 3 phase vascular pattern like computer
tomography (CT) typical arterial enhancement and portal or late wash out in HCC. CEUS can
show a enhancement pattern of HCC in a real time and it has no nephrotoxicity or radiation
hazard. Beyond the diagnosis, CEUS has also shown usefulness in the guidance of locoregional
treatment and estimation of treatment response of HCC. In addition, recently, a few
data which show a usefulness of CEUS in the early estimation of response after target therapy
in the advanced HCC, also have been reported. However, CEUS has limitations in clinical
practice yet and more wide investigation is needed for the validation of usefulness and wide
application in clinical practice. However, CEUS also has many advantages in the field of the
diagnosis and management of HCC, so in in this review, we are going to introduce CEUS and
overview its clinical usefulness briefly.