August 15, 2023
The combination of color Doppler and three-dimensional ultrasound imaging technology makes it easier to display the three-dimensional configuration of tumor blood vessels. Research has found that the blood supply arteries of primary liver cancer surround the tumor body, presenting a "ball embracing sign" and enter the center from the periphery. The tumor is rich in blood vessels, with irregularly thickened tumor blood vessels and arteriovenous fistulas, presenting a "basket like sign".
Ultrasound guided needle aspiration cytology and tissue biopsy techniques are used to clarify the nature of suspected liver lesions through ultrasound guidance. This technology has been widely applied in clinical practice.
Among various interventional treatment technologies for liver cancer, ultrasound imaging is widely used. Ultrasound guidance has the advantages of simple operation, no radiation, strong lesion specificity, and real-time analysis of imaging and operation. The current clinical application technologies in liver cancer radiotherapy or chemotherapy include the following contents Ultrasound-guided percutaneous injection of anhydrous ethanol into tumors: using anhydrous ethanol to denature and dehydrate tumor proteins, as well as to coagulate and embolize small blood vessels within the tumor, safely and effectively achieving treatment objectives; ② Ultrasound guided percutaneous physical therapy for tumors: mainly including laser hyperthermia, radiofrequency ablation, microwave solidification, high-intensity focused ultrasound, freezing, and other methods, utilizing locally generated high or low temperatures to cause tumor tissue necrosis; ③ Ultrasound guided percutaneous injection of chemotherapy drugs into liver tumors: Under the accurate guidance of real-time ultrasound, injection drug therapy is performed on liver tumors; ④ By comparing the ultrasound images before and after treatment, the treatment effect and progression of the condition can be determined, which has practical value for the future treatment and prognosis. It is non radiative and replicable, and is currently one of the most commonly used follow-up methods in clinical practice
The main ultrasound changes after non-surgical treatments such as intratumoral injection, physical therapy, and hepatic artery embolization for liver cancer include: ① the volume of tumor sensitive to treatment gradually decreases or even disappears; The echo of the lesion gradually approaches that of normal liver tissue, and the boundary gradually becomes blurred; The compressed pipeline structure gradually assumes a normal distribution Ultrasound guided drug injection into the lesion has been widely used as an important treatment method. After treatment, the area showed hyperechoic changes, and the echoes gradually became uneven and blurred, making it difficult to distinguish from normal liver tissue or only showing slightly strong echoes After hepatic artery embolization treatment, if ultrasound examination reveals that the supply vessel of the tumor still shows blood flow or reopens, it can determine incomplete embolization or tumor recurrence. Therefore, ultrasound Doppler examination has become an effective screening method for tumor recurrence.
