[Thickening of the gastric wall in the echographic section (author's transl)]

The distal portion of the normal stomach can now be visualized in the majority of patients undergoing echographic examination. Pathological thickening of the wall appear in the echographic section as a complete or incomplete cockade phenomenon. Besides the morphological appearance, abdominal echography also permits a certain assessment of gastric peristalsis and its disturbances frequently associated with the cockade phenomenon. With increasing size and rigidity of the wall, the complete cockade phenomenon suggests the presence of a malignant infiltration process in the wall; the incomplete pathological cockade phenomenon of the stomach is, on the other hand, far more ambiguous. Abdominal echography can consequently influence diagnosis directively and economically.