Endoscopic ultrasonography with the ultrasonic esophagoprobe

Forty-one patients with either stenosing esophageal and cardia carcinoma (n = 27) or suspected tumor stenosis (n = 14), in whom conventional endosonography had failed, were evaluated with the ultrasonic esophagoprobe (blind probe). The main indication was locoregional staging of esophageal and cardia carcinomas, or restaging after radiotherapy or combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In 37% of the patients (10 of 27) an EUS T4 carcinoma was diagnosed, and in 63% (17/27) an EUS-T3 one. Regional lymph-node metastases were diagnosed in 96% of the cases. EUS restaging after nonsurgical palliative treatment detected tumor lesions in three of eight patients. Despite the fact that the imaging quality is still not satisfactory, our results suggest that the limitations of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) examination due to stenosing tumor growth can be overcome by the use of this ultrasonic esophagoprobe or similar instruments. Further technical developments may improve the resolution as well as the imaging quality in the celiac axis region.