title: [Hydrocolonic sonography--potentials and limitations of ultrasonographic diagnosis of colon diseases].
abstract: Hydrocolonic sonography - potentials and limitations of ultrasonographic diagnosis of colon diseases. Ultrasonic examination has become increasingly important in the diagnosis of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In neoplastic diseases of the large intestine, however, the diagnostic value of conventional transabdominal sonography is limited. The sonographic evaluation of the colon could be improved by the retrograde instillation of water into the colon in a procedure called hydrocolonic sonography. This technique allows the visualization of the colon sonographically from the rectosigmoid transition to the cecum. Hydrocolonic sonography enables a detailed sonographic examination of the hypoechoic colonic lumen, the five individual layers of the colon wall and the surrounding connective tissue, thus providing additional information and allowing a more precise diagnosis of many diseases of the colon. Colonic polyps and carcinomas appear sonographically as echogenic structures projecting from the intestinal wall into the lumen. Colonic polyps larger than 7 mm in diameter and carcinomas of the colon can be detected with great sensitivity. In addition, detailed evaluation of the structure of the bowel wall permits more precise staging of tumors of the colon. Aside from such localized changes, hydrocolonic sonography can also demonstrate changes in the wall structure in chronic inflammatory large bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition hydrocolonic sonography has been proven to be of great value for the ultrasonographically-guided hydrostatic reduction of intussusception in children. On the other hand virtual colonoscopy is another promising new imaging method for the diagnosis of colon diseases. The differences between hydrcolonic sonography and virtual colonoscopy and their potential for screening purposes of colon cancer will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik, Städtisches Krankenhaus Wolfenbüttel, Akademisches Lehrkrankenhaus der Universität Göttingen, Wolfenbüttel.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Limberg
mesh_terms: D003106:Colon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography