Potential application of ultrasound-guided thermal ablation in rare liver tumors.BACKGROUND
 All of the patients underwent ultrasound (US) guided biopsy and subsequent thermal ablation.  CT/MRI fused with contrast enhanced US (CEUS) or three-dimensional (3D) US-CEUS images were used to guide and assess the ablation zone more accurately during thermal ablation.  Among these twelve nodules, nine were subject to US-guided thermal ablation, whereas the other three inconspicuous nodules were subject to CEUS-guided thermal ablation.  US-guided thermal ablation was feasible and safe for rare liver tumors.  The use of fusion imaging technique might make US-guided thermal ablation as effective as surgical resection, and this technique might serve as a potential therapeutic modality for rare liver tumors in the future.
THERM