Early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: usefulness of ultrasonically guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

The results of various diagnostic procedures performed on six cases with solitary and minimal (less than 2 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that was later surgically resected were comparatively reviewed. The tumor was detected in 6/6 patients by ultrasonography, 1/6 by scintigraphy, 2/6 by CT, and 4/6 by angiography, and hepatocellular carcinoma was diagnosed in 3/6 by angiography and 6/6 by ultrasonically guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Since there are not a few HCCs that can be detected only by ultrasonography, fine-needle aspiration biopsy with ultrasound guidance is strongly recommended to confirm cases with a minimal lesion in the liver visualized only on a sonogram.