title: Echocolonoscopy--an indispensable procedure before and after transanal endoscopic microsurgery.
abstract: As a refinement of the widely practised intraluminal sonography, echocolonoscopy represents a breakthrough in preoperative staging and post-operative follow-up of rectal tumor patients. Enabling colonoscopy and intraluminal sonography to be performed in one session, optical control with the Olympus echocolonoscope also prevents inaccurate endosonographic diagnosis caused by tangential cuts or mistaken interpretation of faeces adhering to the mucosa. In the era of transanal endoscopic microsurgery, echocolonoscopy acquires enhanced importance as a pre- and post-operative tool.
authors.affiliation: Olympus Optical Co. (Europa) GmbH, Marketing Department Medical Endoscopes, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D001003:Anal Canal; D003106:Colon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D014463:Ultrasonography