title: Lower gastrointestinal endoultrasound.
abstract: Following a brief history of transrectal ultrasonography, the author explains the fundamentals that led to his research on rectal echographic layers and then describes his theory as applied to the anatomical interpretation of these layers. Personal cases of preoperative staging with transrectal echography provide a basis for the critical evaluation of this method and its proposed role in clinical application.
authors.affiliation: III Cattedra Patologia Speciale Chirurgica, Policlinico Umberto I, Università degli Studi di Roma, La Sapienza, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boscaini
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012007:Rectum / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*