Is the routine abdominal ultrasound a sufficiently sensitive method for the detection of colonic malignancy?
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the sensitivity of routine abdominal ultrasound scanning in the detection of colonic malignancy.


METHODS
A case control prospective study included 101 patients hospitalized at the Department of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases of Zemun Clinical Hospital over a four-year period. Since the complaints pointed to colonic malignancy, the patients underwent routine golden standard diagnostic procedures. These patients were referred to an experienced abdominal ultrasound operator who searched for some characteristic signs of colonic malignancy. All of the participants were surgically treated after the completion of relevant procedures for diagnosing colonic malignancy. SPSS for Windows 10.0 was used for data analysis.


RESULTS
The sensitivity of an abdominal ultrasound scan in the detection and location of pathological changes pointed to colonic malignancy was different- 76% and 84% respectively. This method was very reliable in detecting right-sided colonic carcinoma (100%). Some specific ultrasonographic signs of colonic carcinoma were observed at the advanced stages of disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The routine abdominal ultrasonography can be used for the screening of colonic malignancy owing to its high sensitivity, particularly in advanced disease, but solely in conjunction with other methods. Finally, abdominal ultrasonography cannot be a definitive diagnostic tool for colonic carcinoma.
Gluvic
Zoran
Z
Department of Internal Medicine, Zemun Clinical Hospital, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia. gluvic@beotel.net
Slovic
Miodrag
M
Dugalic
Predrag
P
Tomasevic
Ratko
R
Pavlovic
Aleksandar
A
Jaksic
Dunja
D
Isenovic
Esma R
ER
Rasic-Milutinovic
Zorica
Z
Milicevic
Dusan
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography