Virtual ultrasonography-assisted percutaneous ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Recent advances in multi-detector row computed tomography have enabled the synthesis of high-quality multiplanar reconstruction images. With this technique, arbitrary sectional images resembling conventional ultrasonography (US) images, i.e. virtual US images, can easily be created. We describe 3 cases of small hepatocellular carcinoma poorly visualized with US in which US-guided percutaneous ablation was safely and successfully performed with the assistance of the virtual US system. No local recurrence was found after a mean follow-up of 17 months. Percutaneous ablation using the virtual US system is a promising method for treating hepatocellular carcinoma poorly visualized with US.