Diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasound in pelvic masses with bowel involvement

The diagnostic ability of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for intestinal infiltration by pelvic masses has aroused considerable interest in many oncological settings. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of EUS in predicting colorectal invasion in patients with pelvic masses and compare its accuracy with that of other imaging methods, namely pelvic MRI and abdominal computed tomography (CT), in predicting intestinal involvement in patients with histologically confirmed colorectal invasion.

A hundred and eighty-four female patients with histologically confirmed benign or malignant pelvic masses were enrolled in a retrospective-prospective study. All patients underwent EUS, pelvic MRI, and one or more of abdominal CT, transvaginal sonography, and colonoscopy examinations before surgery. The surgical and pathological results were used as the gold standard to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of EUS for colorectal invasion of pelvic masses.

This study included 184 patients who underwent surgery, with the time between EUS and surgery ranging from 1 to 309 (mean, 13.2) days. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of EUS for benign and malignant pelvic masses infiltrating the intestine were 83.3, 97.8, 99.1, and 66.2%, respectively. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 87.0%.

EUS is a simple, noninvasive, reliable, and accurate technique for the preoperative diagnosis of pelvic masses infiltrating the intestine. The authors recommend the use of this technology by gynecologists, as well as its incorporation into the preoperative diagnostic process to determine the most suitable surgical method. This would help in avoiding unexpected situations and unnecessary resource wastage during surgery.