[Diagnosis of inflammatory and tumorous changes of the large intestine using colonic sonography]

By water instillation into the large intestine, sonographic visualization of the whole length of the colon from the recto-sigmoid to the caecum can be achieved. Detailed evaluation of the lumen, the wall and the surrounding connective tissue may be carried out. Diagnostic sonography of the colon in 41 patients with pathological changes confirmed by colonoscopy showed that colonic polyps and carcinomas can be detected by this method. In Crohn's disease, typical changes can be seen, which allow the degree of inflammatory infiltration to be assessed. Thus, sonography of the colon is a diagnostic procedure which gives discriminating evidence in diseases of the large intestine.