Endoluminal ultrasonic scanning in the evaluation of rectal cancer: a preliminary report of 13 cases.

In 13 patients with a verified tumor of the rectum, endoluminal ultrasonic scanning was performed to evaluate the degree of tumor infiltration in the muscular wall and the perirectal tissue. In 11 cases the degree of tumor infiltration found by ultrasonic scanning was in complete accordance with the histopathologic finding. In 2 cases the examination was incomplete because the ultrasonic probe could not pass the tumor. We believe that endoluminal ultrasonic scanning will further development of the equipment will be a valuable additional diagnostic tool in the evaluation of gastrointestinal tract tumors. It will make it possible to decide whether local excision of the tumor is possible, based on the diagnostic procedure.