Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after percutaneous ablation therapy: helical CT patterns

Abstract

Four patterns of recurrence after percutaneous ablation procedures can be categorized on double-phase helical CT and are best depicted on arterial phase images. Knowledge of these patterns is relevant for early detection and may be helpful in understanding the recurrence mechanism.

Intrahepatic distant recurrence after radiofrequency ablation for a single small hepatocellular carcinoma: Risk factors and patterns

“…Seventy-seven patients (85.6%) revealed a serum AFP level of ≥20 ng/ml and/or a DCP level of ≥40 mAu/ml. The median diameter of the HCC nodule was 20 mm (range, [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Liver function was classifi ed according to the Child-Pugh classifi cation.…”

“…22 The recurrent patterns of IDR were classifi ed into two groups, single and multiple nodules (two nodules or more), because IDR of two or more nodules is observed less frequently than that of a single nodule after resection for HCC. 23 (Fig.…”

Interstitial laser coagulation with temporary hepatic artery occlusion for patients with cirrhosis and irresectable hepatoma

“…Furthermore, post-treatment follow-up of patients was performed with liver ultrasonography in the latter study whereas triplephase CT and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI were used routinely in the present study. Catalano et al 21 found that at least 50 per cent of HCCs recurred after percutaneous ablation therapy, despite initial imaging and biopsy-proven evidence of successful ablation 21 -23 . Others have reported even higher recurrence rates of 81 per cent 24 and 96 per cent 25 .…”

Power Doppler ultrasonography with time-signal intensity curves in monitoring hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases after intralesional therapy

“…The follow-up of patients undergoing these treatments is generally based on imaging studies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [10,11] or computed tomography (CT) [12], with only few doubtful cases being studied by biopsy to assess whether complete necrosis of the neoplastic tissue has been achieved.…”

“…Il follow-up dei pazienti sottoposti a questi trattamenti è generalmente affidato a metodiche di diagnostica per immagini come la RM [10,11] o la TC [12]; solo in alcuni casi dubbi si ricorre alla biopsia per verificare l'effettiva necrosi completa del tessuto neoplastico.…”