Ultrasonography of small hepatic tumors using high-resolution linear-array real-time instruments

Abdominal ultrasonography using a high-resolution linear-array real-time scanner was compared to computed tomography, celiac arteriography, and radionuclide imaging in 24 patients with a total of 33 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), 10 patients with cavernous hemangioma (12 tumors), and 2 patients with metastatic carcinoma of the liver (3 tumors), all smaller than 3 cm. Ultrasound proved to be the most sensitive method of detecting such small tumors. Most small HCCs were hypoechoic and most small hemangiomas hyperechoic. Aspiration cytology and/or biopsy under ultrasound guidance detected 92.3% of HCCs and 100% of hemangiomas. Intraoperative ultrasound was employed in 19 cases of small HCC and aided resection in 8. Real-time ultrasound may play a prominent role in early detection and diagnosis of small HCCs.