THE FIRST EXPERIENCE OF CONTRAST-ENHANCED ULTRASOUND IN EPITHELIAL RECTAL TUMORS

Abstract

AIM: to evaluate the diagnostic capabilities of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the diagnostics of epithelial rectal tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: the study included 15 patients, who underwent endorectal ultrasound and transvaginal contrast-enhanced ultrasound. All the patients underwent surgery. RESULTS : morphology revealed adenomas in 9 cases, and adenocarcinomas with different invasion depth in 6 cases. When analyzing the tumors contrast, significant differences in arrival time of contrasting between adenomas and adenocarcinomas were obtained (p = 0.041), and the contrast enhancement of adenocarcinomas was faster (p = 0.036). Negative correlations of peak intensity of contrast enhancement of hypoenhanced zones in adenocarcinoma with indices T (rxy =-0.781; p = 0.001) and N (rxy = - 0.519; p = 0.047)and a positive correlation with the tumor differentiation degree (rxy=0.742; p = 0.002) were established. Also, the negative correlation of the arrival time with the index T (rxy=-0.552; p=0.033) was found. CONCLUSION : contrast-enhanced ultrasound is an imaging technique that allows real-time qualitative and quantitative assessment of tumor tissue perfusion. The method is not standardized, but it can be a useful non-invasive method for assessing the blood supply of rectal tumors at the preoperative stage, and also has the potential to assess risk factors for lymphogenic metastasis.