Operator Evaluation of Ultrasound Fusion Imaging Usefulness in the Percutaneous Ablation of Hepatic Malignancies: A Prospective Study

The purpose of the work described here was to evaluate the use of ultrasound fusion imaging (US-FI) in percutaneous ablation of hepatic malignancies with respect to its global usefulness, improvement of conspicuity, confidence increment, needle route changes, and time savings. Thirty-four hepatic tumors (28 hepatocellular carcinomas, 6 metastases) were prospectively ablated in 16 consecutive patients (64 ± 11 y, 75% males), first simulating B-mode-only planning and then synchronizing computed tomography/magnetic resonance images with US and proceeding to needle insertion and tumor ablation under US-FI guidance. Surveys were administered to the operators to evaluate their perception of US-FI advantages. First treatment and local recurrence were also compared. US-FI was judged useful in 91% of cases and more useful when the tumor was not conspicuous in B-mode (p < 0.001), in particular for ablation of local recurrences (p = 0.021). Forty-one percent of tumors were undetectable at B-mode evaluation, and 93% of them were completely ablated under US-FI guidance. The confidence of the operator was highly increased by US-FI in 68% of cases. In 71% of cases, the radiologist saved time using US-FI, especially in treatment of local recurrences (p = 0.024). In conclusion, US-FI significantly increases the detection of target tumors, improves the confidence of the operator and is a time-saving method, especially in the treatment of local recurrences.