Side-by-side Contrast-enhanced UltrasoundSBS-CEUSNCT07598331
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Early Assessment of Microwave Ablation in HCC
A study testing Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in people with Side-by-side Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), run by The First Hospital of Jilin University at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide [1]. Although surgical resection remains the reference curative therapy, ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) yields comparable oncologic outcomes [2,3] and is endorsed as a… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Side-by-side Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound, Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
- What is being tested?
- Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 106 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 1 Jun 2021to 30 Jun 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- HCC diagnosed according to EASL guidelines and confirmed by pathology and/or typical imaging features on CE-CT, CE-MRI, or CEUS;b) ≤3 lesions, each ≤5 cm, without vascular/bile-duct invasion or distant metastasis;c) CE-MRI performed at our centre ≤1 month before and ≤1 month after ablation (CE-CT for MRI-contraindicated patients) to serve as the reference standard;d)Baseline CEUS ≤7 days before MWA and follow-up CEUS 1-3 days after MWA .
Who cannot join
- Severe comorbid disease;b) Missing mandatory imaging;c) Any condition judged by the investigators to preclude reliable data acquisition.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: A Diagnostic Pilot Study of Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Early Assessment of Microwave Ablation Efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide [1]. Although surgical resection remains the reference curative therapy, ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) yields comparable oncologic outcomes [2,3] and is endorsed as a first-line option in several national and international guidelines. A sufficient ablative ablation margins (AM) is pivotal for preventing local tumour progression (LTP) [4,5].
According to current consensus, technical success is judged one month after ablation using contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) or MRI (CE-MRI) together with long-term follow-up [6,7]. Yet, inflammatory changes within the ablation zone peak during the first few days, delaying reliable evaluation, increasing patient anxiety, and often necessitating multiple imaging sessions.In recent years, various fusion imaging methods have been used to assess AM after ablation in HCC patients, including CT-CT image fusion [8, 9], MR-MR image fusion [10, 11], and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)-CT/MR image fusion [12, 13]. However, fusion imaging techniques require high-quality preoperative images, and post-operative liver displacement and deformation due to tumour removal can make image registration difficult.
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Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is widely used in clinical practice due to its economic simplicity, lack of radiation, and ability to display lesion areas in real time [14-16]. Recently, fusion imaging based on 3D CEUS has been reported to show good accuracy in AM evaluation [17-19], but the assessment of AM for multiple ablations of multiple tumours remains uncertain.Therefore, the potential of CEUS for early assessment of AM should be further developed. Simultaneous-screen comparison contrast-enhanced ultrasound (SBS-CEUS) refers to the simultaneous comparison of arterial phase images before and after tumour ablation under the same settings of the ultrasound diagnostic instrument.Studies have shown [20] that SBS-CEUS has significant value in displaying liver lesions in difficult-to-visualise areas, but to date, no studies have systematically compared SBS-CEUS with CEUS in the assessment of AM.
This retrospective study therefore compared the diagnostic accuracy of SBS-CEUS versus CEUS for early (1-3 days) assessment of the AM after MWA in patients with HCC.
- Being tested
- Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound
- Keywords
- side-by-side contrast-enhanced ultrasound, hepatocellular carcinoma, microwave ablation, ablative margin, local tumour progression, contrast-enhanced ultrasound
- Medical subject headings
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced UltrasoundProcedure or surgery
Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound is performed 1-3 days after MWA surgery, with contrast-enhanced MRI or CT one month after microwave ablation as the reference standard.
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound is performed within 7 days before MWA surgery and 1-3 days after surgery, with contrast-enhanced MRI or CT one month after microwave ablation as the reference standard.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Early Assessment of Microwave Ablation Efficacy in HCC | Experimental | Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound is performed 1-3 days after MWA surgery. Receives: Procedure: Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound were used to evaluate the efficacy of microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on the minimum distance between the tumour margin and the ablation zone, early postope
Measured: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was performed within 7 days prior to microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma, and side-by-side contrast-enhanced ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound were performed simultaneously within 1-3 days after t
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 May 2026
- Study start1 Jun 2021
- Primary completion31 Jul 2022
- Study completion30 Jun 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Side-by-side Contrast-enhanced UltrasoundStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Screening
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 106 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The First Hospital of Jilin University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dezhi Zhang, The First Hospital of Jilin University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07598331
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2023-KS-233
- Acronym
- SBS-CEUS
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 13 May 2026
- Last updated
- 20 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Diagnostic Pilot Study of Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Early Assessment of Microwave Ablation Efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07598331
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SBS-CEUS / 2023-KS-233
- Keywords
- side-by-side contrast-enhanced ultrasound, hepatocellular carcinoma, microwave ablation, ablative margin, local tumour progression, contrast-enhanced ultrasound
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 106 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Jun 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 20 May 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide [1]. Although surgical resection remains the reference curative therapy, ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) yields comparable oncologic outcomes [2,3] and is endorsed as a first-line option in several national and international guidelines. A sufficient ablative ablation margins (AM) is pivotal for preventing local tumour progression (LTP) [4,5].
According to current consensus, technical success is judged one month after ablation using contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) or MRI (CE-MRI) together with long-term follow-up [6,7]. Yet, inflammatory changes within the ablation zone peak during the first few days, delaying reliable evaluation, increasing patient anxiety, and often necessitating multiple imaging sessions.In recent years, various fusion imaging methods have been used to assess AM after ablation in HCC patients, including CT-CT image fusion [8, 9], MR-MR image fusion [10, 11], and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)-CT/MR image fusion [12, 13]. However, fusion imaging techniques require high-quality preoperative images, and post-operative liver displacement and deformation due to tumour removal can make image registration difficult.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is widely used in clinical practice due to its economic simplicity, lack of radiation, and ability to display lesion areas in real time [14-16]. Recently, fusion imaging based on 3D CEUS has been reported to show good accuracy in AM evaluation [17-19], but the assessment of AM for multiple ablations of multiple tumours remains uncertain.Therefore, the potential of CEUS for early assessment of AM should be further developed. Simultaneous-screen comparison contrast-enhanced ultrasound (SBS-CEUS) refers to the simultaneous comparison of arterial phase images before and after tumour ablation under the same settings of the ultrasound diagnostic instrument.Studies have shown [20] that SBS-CEUS has significant value in displaying liver lesions in difficult-to-visualise areas, but to date, no studies have systematically compared SBS-CEUS with CEUS in the assessment of AM.
This retrospective study therefore compared the diagnostic accuracy of SBS-CEUS versus CEUS for early (1-3 days) assessment of the AM after MWA in patients with HCC.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Screening
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Early Assessment of Microwave Ablation Efficacy in HCC | Experimental | Procedure: Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced UltrasoundSide-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound is performed 1-3 days after MWA surgery. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- HCC diagnosed according to EASL guidelines and confirmed by pathology and/or typical imaging features on CE-CT, CE-MRI, or CEUS;b) ≤3 lesions, each ≤5 cm, without vascular/bile-duct invasion or distant metastasis;c) CE-MRI performed at our centre ≤1 month before and ≤1 month after ablation (CE-CT for MRI-contraindicated patients) to serve as the reference standard;d)Baseline CEUS ≤7 days before MWA and follow-up CEUS 1-3 days after MWA .
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Severe comorbid disease;b) Missing mandatory imaging;c) Any condition judged by the investigators to preclude reliable data acquisition.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced UltrasoundSide-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound is performed 1-3 days after MWA surgery, with contrast-enhanced MRI or CT one month after microwave ablation as the reference standard. Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound is performed within 7 days before MWA surgery and 1-3 days after surgery, with contrast-enhanced MRI or CT one month after microwave ablation as the reference standard. | Procedure or surgery | Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Early Assessment of Microwave Ablation Efficacy in HCC |
Primary outcome
Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound were used to evaluate the efficacy of microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on the minimum distance between the tumour margin and the ablation zone, early postope
Time frame: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was performed within 7 days prior to microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma, and side-by-side contrast-enhanced ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound were performed simultaneously within 1-3 days after t
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in people with Side-by-side Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), run by The First Hospital of Jilin University at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Side-by-Side Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound were used to evaluate the efficacy of microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on the minimum distance between the tumour margin and the ablation zone, early postope (time frame: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was performed within 7 days prior to microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma, and side-by-side contrast-enhanced ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound were performed simultaneously within 1-3 days after t). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 20 May 2026.