Echocolonoscopy--an indispensable procedure before and after transanal endoscopic microsurgery

As a refinement of the widely practised intraluminal sonography, echocolonoscopy represents a breakthrough in preoperative staging and post-operative follow-up of rectal tumor patients. Enabling colonoscopy and intraluminal sonography to be performed in one session, optical control with the Olympus echocolonoscope also prevents inaccurate endosonographic diagnosis caused by tangential cuts or mistaken interpretation of faeces adhering to the mucosa. In the era of transanal endoscopic microsurgery, echocolonoscopy acquires enhanced importance as a pre- and post-operative tool.