Evaluation of posttreatment response of hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison of ultrasonography with second-generation ultrasound contrast agent and multidetector CT

We evaluated the ability of one-month follow-up contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with second-generation contrast agent in monitoring radio frequency ablation (RFA) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatments of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). One-hundred forty-eight HCCs were studied using CEUS: 110 nodules were treated with RFA [41/110 RFA were performed using a pretreatment and an immediate postablation evaluation using CEUS (group 1); 69/110 using only US guidance (group 2)] and 38 nodules treated with TACE. For statistical analysis, McNemar test was used. Overall complete response was observed in 107/148 nodules (92/110 treated with RFA and 15/38 with TACE). A bett…