Gastroenterology

Answer 2 EUS of the rectosigmoid colon. While CT and MRI scans can give valuable information about the local extent of disease as well as the presence or absence of intraabdominal metastases, EUS is superior in terms of accuracy for determining the depth of invasion (T-stage) and the presence of locally involved lymph nodes (N-stage).1 In addition, EUS can be used to sample suspicious peritumoral lymph nodes via fine needle aspiration to assess for malignant involvement. PET scans and transabdominal ultrasound are not used to assess the local extent of disease in rectal cancer. REFERENCE 1. Schwartz DA, Harewood GC, Wiersema MJ. EUS for rectal disease. Gastrointest Endosc 2002;56:100–9. Click here to return to the questions

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