Laparoscopic ultrasonography--a method for staging of upper gastrointestinal cancer.

Laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) is a method that can be useful in the staging of upper gastrointestinal cancer. Dedicated transducers are available, and preliminary studies have proposed indications for the use of LUS staging of hepatic, esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancer disease. In the staging and resectability assessment of upper gastrointestinal cancer LUS seems to provide important additional information thus avoiding futile laparotomies in non-resectable patients. This short review summarizes some of the most relevant references concerning the use of LUS in upper gastrointestinal tract cancer.