ULTRASOUND AND CONTRAST-ENHANCED ULTRASOUND FINDINGS AFTER PERCUTANEOUS IRREVERSIBLE ELECTROPORATION OF HEPATIC MALIGNANT TUMORS

The aim of this study was to describe ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) findings immediately and 1 d after percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) of hepatic malignant tumors Immediately after IRE, the ablation zone was shown to be a gradually expanding hypo-echoic area around the electrodes. The microcirculation of the ablation zone was markedly reduced on CEUS (before vs. immediately after, p < 0.001), and the macrocirculation within the ablation zone was preserved. At 1 d after IRE, the ablation zones lost their hypoechogenicity to become iso-echoic or hyper-echoic (before vs. 1 d after, p= 0.004; immediately after vs. 1 d after, p = 0.002). At this time, further elimination of microcirculation was confirmed on CEUS (before vs. 1 d after, p < 0.001; immediately after vs. 1 d after, p = 0.003). The size of the ablation zone, which measured by US, was strongly correlated with that measured by CEUS (length: r: = 0.929, width: r = 0.940. p < 0.001), was significantly enlarged immediately after IRE and shrunk 1 d after IRE. (C) 2019 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. All rights reserved.