Delineation of microwave ablated hepatocellular carcinoma tumor regions using electrode displacement elastography

An effective imaging modality to delineate the ablated region after microwave ablation (MWA) therapy is crucial to yield promising treatment outcomes. Ultrasound B mode imaging is widely used to guide the ablation needle. However, the image quality suffers from relatively low imaging contrast due to the similar echogenicity between the ablated and surrounding liver tissue. In this study, we applied a quasi-static ultrasound elastography technique, referred to as electrode displacement elastography (EDE), to delineate the thermally ablated regions for patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with MWA procedures.