The sonographic appearances of small bowel tumours

Twenty-seven cases of small bowel tumour confirmed surgically and pathologically have been studied. The sonographic appearances are described as well as a method of ultrasound detection following water ingestion. Tumours were classified into: (i) intraluminal tumours (duodenal adenocarcinoma n = 5; distal ileal lipoma with intussusception, n = 1; (ii) intramural tumours (proximal jejunal adenocarcinoma, n = 2; jejuno-ileal lymphoma, n = 5; (iii) extraluminal tumours (duodenal leiomyosarcoma, n = 2; neurilemmoma, n = 1; jejuno-ileal leiomyoma, n = 4; leiomyosarcoma, n = 6; subserosal lymphangioma, n = 1). Observing the lesion intermittently over a period of 1 h after water ingestion improves the localization of tumours within the small bowel.