Liu RB, Xin JY, Huang Z, Li KY. Sonazoid-contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the histological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(1): 111144 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i1.111144]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Kai-Yan Li, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Medical Ultrasound, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Qiaokou District, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China. liky20006@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Retrospective Cohort Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jan 15, 2026 (publication date) through Jan 12, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology
ISSN
1948-5204
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Liu RB, Xin JY, Huang Z, Li KY. Sonazoid-contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the histological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(1): 111144 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i1.111144]
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jan 15, 2026; 18(1): 111144 Published online Jan 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i1.111144
Sonazoid-contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the histological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
Ruo-Bing Liu, Jun-Yi Xin, Zhe Huang, Kai-Yan Li
Ruo-Bing Liu, Zhe Huang, Kai-Yan Li, Department of Medical Ultrasound, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
Jun-Yi Xin, Department of Medical Ultrasound, Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
Author contributions: Li KY and Liu RB designed and performed the research study; Huang Z and Xin JY conducted clinical trials and analyzed the data; and all authors contributed to editorial changes in the manuscript and read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, University of Science and Technology and complied with the principles and ethical requirements of the Declaration of Helsinki (No. TJ-IRB20210130).
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kai-Yan Li, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Medical Ultrasound, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Qiaokou District, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China. liky20006@126.com
Received: July 1, 2025 Revised: July 25, 2025 Accepted: November 18, 2025 Published online: January 15, 2026 Processing time: 198 Days and 20.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study used quantitative parameters and imaging characteristics from Sonazoid-contrast-enhanced ultrasound using perfluorobutane microspheres to evaluate the histological differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Both univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that Kupffer phase parameters, particularly the intensity ratio (IR), outperformed conventional clinical markers. IR proved to be a valuable, non-invasive predictor of tumor differentiation, supporting more informed preoperative decision-making in HCC management. It is simple to calculate, relatively unaffected by variations in hepatic perfusion or fibrosis, and well-suited for routine clinical application. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified an optimal cut-off value of 1.215 for IR.
