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Volume 42 Issue 7
Jul.  2026
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Article Navigation >  Journal of Clinical Hepatology  > 2026  >  42(7): 1519-1525

Application and progress of ultrasound in treatment response assessment after ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260706

  • Department of Abdominal Ultrasound，Diagnostic Ultrasound Center，The First Hospital of Jilin University，Changchun 130021，China

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  • Corresponding author: Zhang Dezhi， dezhi@jlu.edu.cn （ORCID： 0000-0002-4331-008X）
  • Received Date: 2026-07-15
  • Accepted Date: 2026-07-31
  • Published Date: 2026-07-25
    Abstract
  • Accurate assessment of treatment response after local ablation is of great importance for detecting residual viable tumor， evaluating ablative margins， and guiding subsequent follow-up and monitoring in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are currently the main imaging modalities for post-ablation evaluation， but have certain limitations in real-time imaging， intraoperative application， and repeatability. Ultrasound， especially contrast-enhanced ultrasound （CEUS）， can be used throughout the entire process of ablation therapy for HCC due to its advantages of real-time visualization of microvascular perfusion， no ionizing radiation， and repeatability， thereby playing an important role in detecting residual viable tumor， assessing immediate treatment response， and monitoring patients during follow-up. This article reviews the pathological basis and major endpoints of treatment response assessment after thermal ablation for HCC， with a focus on the clinical application of ultrasound techniques and the Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System Treatment Response Algorithm. In addition， it discusses the future development directions of multimodal imaging， quantitative assessment， and standardized evaluation， in order to provide a reference for further optimizing the treatment response assessment system for HCC after ablation.

     

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