Modified soft-balloon methods during ultrasonic probe examination for superficial esophageal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
In ultrasonic probe studies for early-stage esophageal cancer the original soft-balloon method utilizing a condom had succeeded in obtaining a clear and reproducible picture by keeping deaerated water in a condom; however, the condom, which covered the endoscope lens, eliminated the usual endoscopic sight. Therefore, the authors endeavored to develop a modified method which enables both normal endoscopic observation and ultrasonic probe study with only a single insertion of the endoscope.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients with superficial esophageal cancer were included in this pilot study. As modifications of the soft-balloon technique, two novel methods of 'wrapping' and 'invagination' were developed.


RESULTS
These modifications are considered to have solved the above-mentioned problem and enable one to acquire both normal endoscopic photos and ultrasonic probe images during the same insertion of the endoscope.


CONCLUSIONS
In a pilot study novel modifications improved the method of ultrasonic probe study for superficial esophageal cancer.
Inoue
H
H
First Dept. of Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
Kawano
T
T
Takeshita
K
K
Iwai
T
T
D019160:Endosonography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects