Endoscopic ultrasonography of superficial esophageal cancers using a thin ultrasound probe system equipped with...

Detailed information on the depth of invasion of superficial esophageal cancer is required for endoscopic mucosal resection. As a pretherapeutic diagnostic procedure, endoscopic ultrasonography using conventional 7.5 MHz systems has been ineffective at providing sufficient details. A newly developed, thin ultrasound probe system provides both radial and linear scanning for evaluation of superficial esophageal cancer.

Endoscopic ultrasonography was performed in 16 patients using a switchable probe driven at 20 MHz. Seventeen lesions of superficial esophageal cancer were evaluated for depth of invasion to discriminate mucosal from submucosal penetration.

The overall accuracy of staging was 64.7%. In all six errors, mucosal cancers were overstaged as submucosal invasion. The diagnostic accuracy was 80% when the muscularis mucosae was visualized.

A 20 MHz linear-radial switchable probe is a useful new method in the staging of superficial esophageal cancer.