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Evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis by CEUS before and after hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy

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Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common neoplasms worldwide. Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is a common complication of advanced HCC, and the prognosis of advanced HCC with PVTT is extremely poor. We report a case of HCC with PVTT evaluated by contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) before and after hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC). A 59-year-old man with chronic hepatitis C was admitted to our hospital. CEUS clearly showed the thread and streaks sign in a solid lesion that occupied the right main branch of the portal vein. HAIC was performed, and CEUS after HAIC clearly showed disappearance of the thread and streaks sign. CEUS was very useful in diagnosing PVTT and in evaluating the effectiveness of HAIC in this case.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for research on Third Term Comprehensive Control Research for Cancer from the Ministry on Health, Labor, and Welfare, Japan, to A.N., a grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Innovation (NBIO) to A.N., a grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan (KIBAN-B), to A.N., and a grant program “Collaborative Development of Innovative Seeds” from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).

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Correspondence to Satoru Saito.

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Kirikoshi, H., Saito, S., Ueno, N. et al. Evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis by CEUS before and after hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy. J Med Ultrasonics 37, 137–141 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-010-0259-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-010-0259-6

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