ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging in monitoring the therapeutic effect of argon-helium cryosurgical treatment of malignant tumors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Before and after argon-helium cryosurgical treatment, 42 patients underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, conventional ultrasound imaging and enhanced CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for examining the number of tumor foci and the size of necrotic areas.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 80 tumor lesions were detected by contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging. Compared with conventional ultrasound imaging, contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging detected a significantly greater number of tumors and the intratumoral necrotic areas (96 vs 19) as well as a significantly increased mean size of necrotic areas (5.7∓3.6 cm vs 2.8∓1.7 cm), showing no significant differences from the results by enhanced CT and MRI (94 and 5.5∓3.3 cm, P=0.872 and 0.978, respectively). The short-term therapeutic effect of argon-helium cryosurgery evaluated by contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging were also similar to that assessed by enhanced CT or MRI (P=0.906).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging has important values in monitoring malignant tumors during argon-helium cryosurgical treatment and in evaluating the short-term therapeutic effect of the treatment.</p>