[Endorectal ultrasonic study of the large intestine (a preliminary report)]

Endorectal ultrasound examination is known mainly as a method of examination of the prostate gland. In this report results are presented of the use of this method in patients with tumors of the rectum or of the adjacent organs, with the purpose of evaluating the relation of the tumor to the intestinal wall. In 7 cases gamma 4 with cancer of the colon and 1 with benign tumor, 1 patient with cancer of the uterine cervix and 1 patient with recurrent tumor in the pararectal space) the results of endorectal ultrasound examination matched the data of the histopathologic examination (in 6 cases) and with the clinical course of the disease (in 1 case) followed up over a period of 5 years. It is suggested that endorectal echography has a place as supplementary method of examination in patients with malignant tumors in the rectal area; the accumulated information will help to choose the therapeutic approach.