ADVANCED ULTRASOUND IN DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY >

2025 , Vol. 9 >Issue 4: 375 - 387

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26599/AUDT.2025.250094

The Evolving Application of Ultrasound in the Precision Management of Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma

  • Guan Xin ,
  • Hu Xinyuan ,
  • Han Hong ,
  • Zhang Dezhi ,
  • Xu Huixiong
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  • aDepartment of Ultrasound, Zhongshan Hospital (Xiamen), Fudan University, Xiamen, China
    bDepartment of Ultrasound, Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
    cAbdominal Ultrasound Department, Diagnostic Ultrasound Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, P. R. China
1Xin Guan and Xinyuan Hu contributed equally to this study.
Abdominal Ultrasound Department, Diagnostic Ultrasound Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, P. R. China (Dezhi Zhang), e-mail: dezhi@jlu.edu.cn (DZ Z);
Department of Ultrasound, Zhongshan Hospital (Xiamen), Fudan University, Xiamen, 361000, China (Huixiong Xu),e-mail: xuhuixiong@126.com (HX X).

Received date: 2025-09-12

  Revised date: 2025-09-24

  Accepted date: 2025-10-20

  Online published: 2025-11-06

Copyright

2576-2508/© AUDT 2025
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Abstract

Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucial, as patient outcomes depend largely on clinical stage and treatment options at diagnosis. Currently most clinical guidelines emphasize non-invasive cross-sectional imaging for HCC diagnosis and evaluation, yet the full potential of ultrasound is often underexplored. With the development of emerging ultrasound techniques and diagnostic algorithms in recent years, the diagnostic ability of ultrasound for HCC smaller than 3 cm has been substantially improved and is increasingly emphasized in the management of small HCC. Following sequential clinical scenarios, this review discusses the state-of-the-art of ultrasound-related techniques and algorithms for preoperative screening and diagnosis, intraoperative guidance and monitoring as well as posttreatment efficacy evaluation of small HCC. By highlighting how advanced ultrasound complements and enhances standard practices, this review aims to promote ultrasound as an indispensable, versatile, and dynamic tool in the precision management of small HCC.

Key words： Ultrasound; Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Small hepatocellular carcinoma; Diagnosis and treatment; Fusion imaging

Cite this article

Guan Xin , Hu Xinyuan , Han Hong , Zhang Dezhi , Xu Huixiong . The Evolving Application of Ultrasound in the Precision Management of Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma[J]. ADVANCED ULTRASOUND IN DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY, 2025 , 9(4) : 375 -387 . DOI: 10.26599/AUDT.2025.250094

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