Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and one of the main causes of death. Early detection of liver cancer is crucial for treatment and prognosis. Medical ultrasound scanner is a non-invasive imaging tool widely used for screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of liver cancer. This article will explore the application of medical ultrasound scanners in liver cancer screening.

1. The importance of liver cancer screening

Liver cancer usually has no obvious symptoms in the early stages, making it difficult to detect early. However, the success rate of early detection of liver cancer treatment is as high as 70% to 90%, while the treatment effect of late stage liver cancer is poor and the survival rate is extremely low. Therefore, screening is an important means of preventing and controlling the development of liver cancer.

2. Principles of medical ultrasound scanners

Medical ultrasound scanners use the principle of high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to generate images of internal organs in the human body. It obtains sound wave signals reflected and scattered by human tissues by emitting ultrasound, and converts them into images for display on the screen. This technology is safe, non-invasive, and does not cause any harm to the human body.

3. Application of ultrasound in liver cancer screening

In liver cancer screening, medical ultrasound scanners are commonly used in the following areas:

-Monitoring liver structure: Ultrasound scanning can accurately display the size, shape, and structure of the liver. This helps to identify liver abnormalities and the presence of potential tumors.

-Detecting liver lumps: Ultrasound scanning can help distinguish between tumors and non tumor liver lesions. Liver cancer usually presents as abnormal masses within the liver, and ultrasound scanning can help determine its location, size, and morphology.

-Observation of blood supply: The growth of liver cancer requires a large amount of blood supply. Ultrasound scanning can help detect abnormal blood supply by evaluating the pattern and speed of liver blood vessels.

-Guided puncture biopsy: Ultrasound scanning can be used to guide puncture biopsy, which involves using a needle guided by ultrasound to puncture the lesion to obtain live tissue samples and further confirm the characteristics of the tumor.

-Monitoring treatment effectiveness: After liver cancer treatment, ultrasound scanning can be used to monitor the shrinkage or disappearance of the tumor, as well as to check the degree of recovery after treatment.

4. Advantages and limitations of medical ultrasound scanners

The advantages of medical ultrasound scanners include:

-Safety and non-invasive: Ultrasound scanning does not generate radiation and is harmless to patients.

-Real time imaging: Ultrasound scanning can provide real-time images and dynamically observe organs.

-Intuitive and easy to understand: Ultrasound images are intuitive and easy to understand, allowing doctors and patients to observe and discuss the results together.

-Low cost: Compared to other imaging technologies such as MRI and CT scanning, medical ultrasound scanners have lower costs.

However, medical ultrasound scanners also have some limitations:

-Relying on the operator's experience: The interpretation and analysis of ultrasonic scanning results depend on the operator's experience and technical level.

-Limitations of deep structure: Ultrasound can only penetrate tissues at a certain depth, and its detection ability for deep liver lesions is limited.

-Restricting the judgment of lesions: Ultrasound scanning cannot directly evaluate the cytological characteristics of tumors, which may pose certain difficulties in distinguishing between benign and malignant tumors.

5. Conclusion

Medical ultrasound scanners play a crucial role in liver cancer screening. It can help doctors detect and diagnose liver cancer early by monitoring liver structure, detecting liver masses, observing blood supply, guiding puncture biopsy, and monitoring treatment effectiveness. Despite some limitations, medical ultrasound scanners are still a safe, non-invasive, low-cost, and easy to operate imaging tool, which is crucial for liver cancer screening.