INTRAOPERATIVE ULTRASOUND IN COLORECTAL-CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING APPARENTLY CURATIVE SURGERY - CORRELATION WITH 2-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Conventional ultrasound (US) and computerized tomography (CT) are well recognized to be limited in the detection of small liver metastases. In this study, we assessed the use of intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) in the detection of 'occult' liver metastases in colorectal cancer pa tients undergoing apparently curative surgery of the primary colonic c arcinoma. Ninety three colorectal cancer patients undergoing apparentl y curative surgery on the basis of preoperative US, CT and laparotomy were studied. All patients underwent IOUS examination of the liver. Af ter two year follow-up, 27 of these 93 patients developed overt liver metastases and of these 27, only five had been detected by IOUS examin ations at the time of laparotomy. The results suggest that IOUS is rel atively insensitive in the detection of occult colorectal liver metast ates. Its routine use as a screening tool during primary surgery is th erefore not recommended.