HIGH-RESOLUTION ENDOLUMINAL ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN THE STAGING OF ESOPHAGEAL-CARCINOMA

Small catheters containing 20 MHz transducers have recently become ava ilable for high resolution endoluminal ultrasound. We report our early use of this technique to image and stage esophageal carcinoma. Fiftee n patients undergoing high resolution endoluminal ultrasonography for suspected esophageal carcinoma were studied. Twelve of these patients also underwent computed tomography and pathologic correlation was avai lable in seven. Satisfactory esophageal examination was possible in 14 of 15 patients. Of those with pathologic correlation, the depth of tu mor invasion was correctly staged by high resolution endoluminal ultra sonography in six of seven patients and by computed tomography in only three of seven patients. Lymph node assessment correlated poorly with pathologic findings for both high resolution endoluminal ultrasound a nd computed tomog raphy. With the increasing use of preoperative radia tion therapy, we believe these early results predict a potential role for high resolution endoluminal ultrasonography in the staging of esop hageal carcinoma.