Added Value of PET/CT in Assessment of Hepatocellular Malignancy Post Radiofrequency Ablation | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine | ||
| Article 5, Volume 101, Issue 1, October 2025, Pages 4595-4601 PDF (625.96 K) | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejhm.2025.456367 | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Following loco-regional interventional treatment, patient survival depends on the early identification and management of residual or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Objective: The goal of this study is to determine whether PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) can help detect tumoral activity that is still present following radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for HCC in its early stages. Patients and Methods: Seventy participants participated in this prospective cohort research with HCC of both sexes aged 18 and above, who underwent RFA. A Philips hybrid system with a 16 MDCT scanner was used to perform PET/CT one month after RFA. Results: Alpha-fetoprotein level was notably reduced after ablation than before ablation (P<0.001). The average value (± SD) of the liver standardized uptake value max was 2.3 (±0.48) cm. The PET/CT can predict unresolved lesions with 95.7% accuracy, 100% negative predictive value, 62.5% positive predictive value, 95.4% specificity, and 100% sensitivity. The PET/CT and triphasic CT scans revealed a high degree of agreement (Kappa =0.747). Conclusions: Due to its ability to quantify metabolic activity, PET/CT proved to be quite sensitive in detecting tumour remains after RFA with excellent diagnostic judgement for a final diagnosis. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| PET/CT; Hepatocellular Malignancy; Radiofrequency Ablation; Alpha-fetoprotein | ||
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