Detection and staging of primary rectal cancer by transrectal sonography

This study is a prospective clinical investigation that includes 587 patients aged on average 55.3 years with symptoms such as perirectal pain, rectal bleeding, and change in bowel habit and tenesmus that had been investigated at the Clinic. Rectal cancer was diagnosed by endoscopy and pathohistologically confirmed in 377 cases. Demonstration of tumor, extension into perirectal fat and lymph node involment were evaluated. Tumors were successfully imaged by endorectal ultrasound. According to the endosonographical results patients were divided into 3 groups: operable, consisting of 168 pts (29%), inoperable group of 205 pts. (35%) and control group with 214 pts (36%). However, transrectal sonography as a usable supplementary method has to provide approximate sensitivity as the method to which it is supplementary, in fact to be able to detect the lesion that was proved beyond doubt in this study. The results suggest that transrectal sonography has an important role in the determination of the operability of rectal malignoma, following and predicting of the degree of infiltration and determining of the precise borders of the intramural infiltration.