Imaging Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System, Why and How?

LI-RADS provides a standardized and rigorous imaging system that aims to improve clinical practice for the care of patients with or at risk for HCC. Although CT/MRI and CEUS LI-RADS diagnose HCC in at-risk patients with comparably high specificity and PPV, clinicians should be aware of the inherent advantages and limitations of the individual modalities to maximize the utility of the algorithms. Familiarity with the similarities and differences between CT/MRI LI-RADS and CEUS LI-RADS will allow for efficient and appropriate clinical decisions based on individualized patient factors. In conclusion, the adoption of LI-RADS improves the communication among health care professionals and researchers participating in the care of patients with or at risk for HCC. Its probabilistic rather than binary approach provides clear, granular information to guide personalized management strategies. Additionally, the standardization of many aspects of HCC imaging not only results in increased accuracy of the current methods, but also facilitates the use of clinical data for further refinements and improvements, as well as the development of new clinical practices.