title: [Diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in preoperative T-staging of gastric cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in preoperative T-staging of gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble ultrasound contrast agent and a continuous real-time imaging technique of contrast pulse sequencing were used. Normal gastric wall was examined by CEUS in 8 healthy volunteers and the results were compared with the findings on multislice computed tomography. Sixty-two patients with gastric cancer proved by biopsies who received preoperative CEUS examination were involved in this study, and the CEUS result was compared with postoperative pathological findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The normal gastric wall presented a one-layer structure in the portal venous phase and a three-layer structure in the arterial and equilibrium phase including a slightly hyper-enhanced inner layer, a hypo-enhanced intermediate layer, and a markedly hyper-enhanced outer layer, which corresponded histologically to the mucosal, submucosal, and muscular-serosal layer, respectively. The accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography and CEUS in determining the T stage of gastric cancer was 72.9% and 88.1% respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (chi(2)=4.37, P=0.036).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CEUS shows the normal gastric wall as a one- or a three-layer structure, which provides a theory base for CEUS in preoperative T-staging of gastric cancer. CEUS is a useful diagnostic method for preoperative T-staging of gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Lin'an Municipal People's Hospital, Zhejiang, Lin'an, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Yong-ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Li-jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: Huai-song
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Hua-juan
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Pin-tong
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zhi-qiang
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride