Vaginal probe ultrasound in malignancy involving the uterine cervix

Current staging procedures in women with cancer of the cervix are inaccurate in up to one third of cases. The availability of vaginal probe ultrasound has prompted the authors to investigate its potential role in treatment of women with cervical cancer. In this preliminary report 22 women were evaluated by endovaginal scanning. A previously unreported sign consisting of dense bright echoes in the cervical stroma was observed. This sign was present in most patients with cervical involvement by cancer but the ultrasonographic distribution of echoes did not always match accurately the extension of the disease. Despite the interesting nature of this new findings, its role is going to be limited based on this small sample size.