Ultrasound in hepatoma-can specific diagnosis be made?

The ultrasound appearances of primary hepatocellular carcinoma in 32 patients are described. Attempts to correlate the appearances with serological, histological, and arteriographic findings revealed no consistent pattern. There appears to be no great difference in the range of ultrasound appearances in primary hepatocellular carcinoma when compared with that reported for metastatic disease. The findings suggest that in patients with cirrhosis, ultrasound is a sensitive method for the detection and accurate location of hepatocellular carcinoma, but that in these patients the echo pattern provides little help in the differentiation of primary from secondary carcinoma. Our study has revealed four different echo patterns in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: echofree (47%), echogenic (23%), mixed (175) and diffuse infiltration 13%).