The Journal of Practical Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (7): 1177-1182.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.07.009

• Oncology: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention • Previous Articles    

Application of modified contrast-enhanced ultrasound Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System in diagnosis of ≤5cm hepatocellular carcinoma

Lihong CHEN(),Huichun CHEN,Siyi FENG   

  1. Department of Ultrasound,Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University,Fuzhou 350025,Fujian,China
  • Received:2025-10-12 Revised:2025-11-25 Accepted:2025-12-02 Online:2026-04-10 Published:2026-04-13
  • Contact: Lihong CHEN E-mail:992550062@qq.com

Abstract:

Objective To explore the application value of the modified Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (CEUS LI-RADS) in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with the diameter of ≤ 5 cm. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) data from 461 liver nodules in high-risk HCC patients, with pathological results serving as the gold standard. The nodules were classified according to the 2017 CEUS Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) and then modified based on the following two criteria: (1) nodules with arterial phase hyper-enhancement and a washout time of 45-60 s were re-classified as LR-5; (2) If LR-4 and LR-M nodules were combined with positive alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) or des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP), they were re-judged as LR-5. The diagnostic efficacy of LR-5 before and after modification was compared. Results Among 379 HCC lesions, after modification, the proportion of HCC cases classified as LR-M decreased from 32.70% to 4.70% (χ2 = 97.367, P < 0.001). In the overall group, the ≤ 3 cm group, the 3-5 cm group, the 0-2 cm group, and the 2-3 cm group of the tumor maximum diameter, the modified classification significantly improved the sensitivity [(92.61%, 92.41%, 93.33%, 90.30%, 95.04%) vs. (62.27%, 61.24%, 65.56%, 58.79%, 64.46%)], accuracy [(90.5%, 89.52%, 91.84%, 87.78%, 91.60%) vs. (62.38%, 60.38%, 67.35%, 58.89%, 63.36%)], and the area under the curve value (AUC) [(0.766, 0.742, 0.842, 0.752, 0.726) vs. (0.630, 0.586, 0.765, 0.594, 0.572)]. The positive predictive value (PPV) was more than 96%. Conclusions The modified CEUS LI-RADS classification significantly enhanced the sensitivity, accuracy, and AUC of ≤ 5 cm HCC diagnosis without compromising the PPV. The same applies to ≤ 2 cm HCC diagnosis, which would provide more reliable evidence for clinical decision-making.

Key words: contrast-enhanced ultrasound, liver imaging reporting and data system, hepatocellular carcinoma, modified classification

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