title: Thickening of the gastric wall on transabdominal sonography: a sign of gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the value of a thickened gastric wall detected during transabdominal sonography (TAS) in the diagnosis of gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study comprised 312 patients who underwent both TAS and endoscopy. Transverse TAS scanning was performed using a 3.5-MHz curved transducer to measure gastric wall thickness in the antrum and body of the stomach. Based on endoscopic and histologic findings, we classified the patients into 3 groups: normal or benign disease (BD), early gastric cancer (EGC), and advanced gastric cancer (AGC). TAS findings were then compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The thickness of the gastric wall was 4.9 +/- 1.6 mm in 262 patients with BD, 5.6 +/- 2.4 mm in 21patients with EGC, and 10.3 +/- 4.7 mm in 29 patients with AGC (p < 0.01). A gastric wall thickness of greater than 7 mm had a 75.0% sensitivity, 92.6% specificity, 50.0% positive predictive value, and 97.4% negative predictive value in the diagnosis of AGC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although not suitable as a screening method for gastric cancer, a thickening of the gastric wall of >7 mm may be a marker for AGC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Institute of Lifelong Health, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Gangwon-do, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ki Tae
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Suk
authors.forename: Dae Wook
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Moon Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Hun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyu Hong
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jae Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Ok
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Soon Koo
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Baik
authors.forename: Sung Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014159:Transducers; D014463:Ultrasonography