Radiofrequency ablation with artificial pleural effusion is a safe and beneficial treatment option that offers excellent local control through visualization of hepato-cellular carcinomas under the diaphragm.

Background and Aim Cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) beta (IL-1b), IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 RN), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-b1), MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-9 and the prognosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods We enrolled 92 HCV-related HCC patients in the study, and gene polymorphisms of IL-1b -31 C/ T, IL-1 RN variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), TGF-b1 +869 C/T, MMP-1 -1,607 1G/2G, MMP-3 -1,171 5A/6A, and MMP-9 -1,562 C/T were analyzed. Results In HCC clinical features, TGF-b1 C carriers and MMP-3 5A carriers had significantly larger HCC diameters than TGF-b1 T and MMP-3 6A homozygotes. In HCC prognosis, IL-1b T homozygotes and

The serum type IV collagen test was slightly superior to the platelet count for assessing the fibrotic stage in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

These findings suggest that MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-9 gene polymorphisms account for some of the variability in the progression of HCV-related chronic liver diseases.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the detection rate of tumor vessels and vascularity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by contrast-enhanced coded US using Levovist, and to compare with conventional color/power Doppler US (CDUS) and dynamic CT. Ninety nodules (72 hypo/isoechoic nodules, 18 hyperechoic nodules) in 61 patients were studied. We observed tumor vessels by continuous transmission at the early vascular phase (40 s following administration of Levovist) and vascularity by intermittent transmission (intervals of 2-3 s) at the late vascular phase (40 to approximately 120 s). The detection rate of tumor vessels at the early vascular phase was 97% in hypo/isoechoic nodules and 70% in hyperechoic nodules with high density in dynamic CT being higher than that by CDUS. Tumor vascularity at the late vascular phase in hypo/isoechoic and hyperechoic nodules was hyper-enhancement in 78 and 40%, iso-enhancement in 19 and 40%, and hypo-enhancement in 3 and 0%, respectively. The detection rates of tumor vessels and vascularity in hyperechoic nodules were similar to those by CDUS. The detection rates of tumor vessels and vascularity were not affected by the tumor size in HCC tumors with high density in dynamic CT. Contrast-enhanced US with Levovist was superior to CDUS and equal to dynamic CT to assess tumor vessels in hypo/isoechoic nodules. Although it was equal to CDUS for hyperechoic nodules, this modality is useful in evaluating tumor hemodynamics.