Role of the contrast-enhanced ultrasoud in the diagnosis of HCC in cirrhotic liver

Abstract

The development of second generation ultrasound (US) contrast-medium and specific imaging techniques with dedicated softwares, allows to observe the liver perfusion in real time, becoming an useful and less invasive method to describe precisely the vascularization of hepatic lesions. This significantly increased the ability of US to detect and characterize focal liver lesions. The aim of this review article is to evaluate the role of contrast enhancement US in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic liver, with reference to the guidelines of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, European Association for the Study of the Liver and European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology.

Keywords

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound / hepato-cellular carcinoma / cirrhotic liver

References

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