Endorectal elastography in the evaluation of rectal tumours

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging
• Gastroenterology
• Oncology

Background:

• Real-time elastography visualizes tissue compliance using ultrasound.
• It is used in breast imaging to differentiate benign from malignant lesions.
• Rectal neoplasia evaluation currently relies on B-mode imaging and biopsy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of routine endorectal elastography for evaluating rectal neoplasia.
• To correlate elastography findings with histopathological diagnoses.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 69 patients with rectal tumors.
• Inclusion of digital rectal examination, rectoscopy with biopsy, endorectal ultrasonography, and endorectal elastography.
• Calculation of strain ratio comparing tumor to normal rectal tissue.

Main Results:

• Histopathology revealed 23 adenomas and 45 adenocarcinomas.
• Adequate elastography images were obtained in 96% of patients.
• A strain ratio cut-off of 1.25 demonstrated high diagnostic performance (sensitivity 0.93, specificity 0.96, accuracy 0.94).

Conclusions:

• Endorectal elastography is feasible and well-tolerated in routine clinical practice.
• The technique shows promise for differentiating rectal adenocarcinoma from adenoma.
• It can be integrated into the standard evaluation of rectal tumors.