Role of ultrasonography in the staging of gastrointestinal neoplasms

Abstract

This article reviews the capabilities and limits of ultrasonography (US) in the staging of gastrointestinal neoplasms. US is a well-established tool in the investigation of abdominal diseases. Its role is very important in the first approach to liver, gallbladder, biliary, and pancreatic diseases, but its abilities for accurate staging may be limited by various factors, which will be discussed. In the evaluation of the stomach and intestine, US is rarely utilized, but it can occasionally demonstrate an unsuspected gastrointestinal mass that usually must be evaluated further with specific techniques (endoscopy and barium studies) to confirm the diagnosis and to perform an accurate staging (with endosonography and computed tomography).

Lymphoscintigraphy in Detection of the Regional Lymph Node Involvement in Gastric Cancer

“…Abdominal ultrasonography is usually not indicated for the study of the gastrointestinal tract because artefacts from endoluminal gas prevent an accurate analysis of the presence and extent of a neoplastic disease. 32 In the present study, ultrasonography was the worst diagnostic test. As a result, ultrasonography is almost always combined with other tests.…”

“…14,32,33 The overall accuracy of CT for identifying lymph node involvement has been evaluated in a number of studies, yielding results ranging from 50% to 60% 33 which was 65% in the present study. Abdominal ultrasonography is usually not indicated for the study of the gastrointestinal tract because artefacts from endoluminal gas prevent an accurate analysis of the presence and extent of a neoplastic disease.…”

Double Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography in Preoperative T Staging of Gastric Cancer: A Comparison With Endoscopic Ultrasonography

“…Traditional transabdominal ultrasound is unable to adequately stage the depth of gastric tumors, due to variations of wall thickening frequently being too delicate to visualize (29). Double contrast-enhanced ultrasonography is a relatively new method.…”

Detection of focal liver lesions: from the subjectivity of conventional ultrasound to the objectivity of volume ultrasound

“…Conventional US is still the initial screening examination for chronic liver disease and oncological follow-up, and its role today remains firmly established in the detection of focal liver lesions [1,11]. Nonetheless, US suffers several limitations, both intrinsic and related to the patient (obesity and bowel gas) and/or site of the lesion under investigation, and extrinsic and related to the operator's experience [12,13].…”

“…L'esame ecografico convenzionale risulta tuttora il primo esame nello screening delle epatopatie croniche e nei follow-up oncologici ed il suo ruolo, oggigiorno, rimane legato all'identificazione delle lesioni focali epatiche [1,11]. Nonostante ciò rimangono alcuni limiti dell'ecografia di tipo intrinseco, derivanti dal paziente (obesità e meteorismo) e/o dalla sede della lesione in studio, sia estrinseci, legati all'esperienza dell'operatore [12,13].…”