• Yanli Chen, Haiyan Qiao, Zhaoan Lian, Chunlin Li, and Yi Xiang.
• Department of Ultrasonography, The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, Hubei, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Apr 15; 101 (15): e29083e29083.

BackgroundMicrovascular invasion is an independent risk factor for the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Early detection and timely treatment can reduce the recurrence and prolong the overall survival of HCC. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has been validated for their predictive potential of microvascular invasion in HCC patients, although the conclusion remains controversial. Therefore, a meta-analysis is necessary to be conducted to validate the diagnostic value of CEUS for microvascular invasion in HCC, thus supporting guideline development and clinical practice.MethodsRelevant studies reporting the potential diagnostic value of CEUS for microvascular invasion in HCC patients published before February 2022 will be searched in the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Data will be extracted by 2 researchers independently. The risk of bias will be assessed by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. All of the above statistical analysis will be carried out with Stata 14.0.ResultsThe results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.ConclusionThis study will comprehensively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CEUS for microvascular invasion in HCC patients, thus providing high-quality evidence to support clinical practice and guideline development.Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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