Hydrocolonic ultrasonography in the detection of tumoral processes in the inferior gastrointestinal tract

OBJECTIVES: to determine the value of hidrocolonic ultrasound in the detect ion of proliferative lesions in the colon and to compare it with other tech niques of already proven value. MATERIAL AND METHODS: we performed a prospective blinded trial including 15 5 patients (82 males and 73 females) with ages ranging from 33 to 94 years (average of 58) and clinical and analytical criteria suggesting the existen ce of colonic proliferative lesions. Patients with rectal mass or those wit h deficient bowel preparation were excluded. Ultrasound findings were compa red to those obtained by colonoscopy (133 cases) and by Barium RX studies ( 22 cases) and all diagnoses were always confirmed by histologic exams. RESULTS: 155 patients were studied. 50 of them had cancer and 46 of these 5 0 were diagnosed by Hidrocolonic Ultrasound (92%); 19 had polyps > 7 mm. an d 15 of these (78.9%) were diagnosed by Hidrocolonic Ultrasound. Hidrocolon ic Ultrasound failed to detect all the polyps < 7 mm. The overall sensitivi ty, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value fo r identifying colon carcinoma were 92%, 98%, 95.8% and 96.2% respectively a nd for polyps > 7 mm were 78.9%, 100%, 100% and 97.1%, respectively. The me an time for examination was 14 minutes. Tolerance was good in 114 patients (73.5%), 29 showed a slight discomfort (18.7%) and 12 (7.7%) showed a great discomfort. There were no complications. CONCLUSIONS: hidrocolonic ultrasound is an innocuous, fast, well tolerated technique for detecting colonic proliferative lesions > 7 mm H.U. can be co nsidered as a useful complementary technique to other more expensive and in vasive ones! such as barium RX studies and Colonoscopy.