Vascularity of advanced gastric carcinoma: evaluation by using power Doppler imaging.
BACKGROUND
We investigated the vascularity of advanced gastric adenocarcinomas by using percutaneous power Doppler imaging.


METHODS
Seventeen patients with gastric cancer and 10 without a gastric tumor, but with a slightly thick gastric wall in the B-mode ultrasound, were investigated with the use of power Doppler imaging. The color signals of the gastric lesion were graded as follows: 1, no color signals or the same as the surroundings; 2, color signals were slightly increasing; and 3, color signals were obviously increasing.


RESULTS
The color signals of three patients were graded 1, those of eight patients were graded 2 and those of six patients were graded 3 in the gastric cancer group. The color signals of all 10 patients without a gastric tumor were grade 1. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0002).


CONCLUSIONS
Power Doppler imaging showed vascularity of gastric cancer increasing in the majority of patients (14 of 17: 82%). Thus, power Doppler imaging might be a good screening examination method for gastric cancer.
Kawasaki
T
T
Gastroenterology Division, Nishi-Kobe Medical Center, Kobe, Japan. toshi2@bekkoame.ne.jp
Ueo
T
T
Itani
T
T
Shibatohge
M
M
Mimura
J
J
Komori
H
H
Todo
A
A
Kudo
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color