Hepatocellular carcinoma: use of color Doppler US to evaluate response to treatment with percutaneous ethanol injection.

PURPOSE

To determine the usefulness of color Doppler ultrasound (US) in the evaluation of the response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-one patients with 48 lesions 2-5 cm in diameter underwent color Doppler US before and after PEI. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and percutaneous biopsy were also performed to help establish the outcome of therapy.

RESULTS

Before treatment, color signals with an arterial Doppler spectrum were seen in 44 of 48 lesions with a frequency shift of 0.51-4.11 kHz (mean, 1.65 kHz). After PEI, 37 of these lesions showed no color signal and were found to be necrotic at CT, MR imaging, and biopsy. In six of seven lesions containing residual tumor, pulsatile flow was still identified, although the frequency shift was significantly decreased (P = .01).

CONCLUSION

Color Doppler US proved useful in the assessment of the therapeutic effect of PEI on HCC.