Background: Endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) is used to preoperatively assess locoregional stage in patients with rectal neoplasms. This study evaluates the accuracy of ERUS in determining the T stage of rectal neoplasms treated by transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM).
Methods: All patients in the St Paul's Hospital TEM database were evaluated and excluded if they had been treated with neoadjuvant therapy. ERUS results were compared with gold-standard postoperative histopathology reports. Tumor height from anal verge was measured by ERUS and endoscopic techniques.
Results: Fifty-three patients were eligible to participate in the study. A Friedman test demonstrated significant difference in the T stage between ERUS and the histopathology reports (P < .001). The tumor height measured by ERUS is significantly higher than the height measured by endoscopy (P < .05).
Conclusions: This study confirms that ERUS often overstages rectal neoplasms and suggests that ERUS findings should not preclude TEM in clinically appropriate patients.
Keywords: Endorectal ultrasound; Neoplasm staging; Rectal neoplasms; Transanal endoscopic microsurgery.
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