Objective: To compare the efficacy of endoluminal ultrasonography (EUS) and spiral computed tomography (SCT) in preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma.
Methods: Both EUS and SCT were performed prior to surgery in 68 patients with rectal carcinoma. After radical surgery, the preoperative findings were compared with histologic findings of the operative specimens, and the efficacy of EUS and SCT in staging the rectal carcinoma were evaluated.
Results: For T stage, EUS accuracy was 86.8%, while SCT was 70.6%. The difference was significant (P<0.05). For N stage, EUS accuracy was 67.6% and SCT was 63.2%. The difference was not significant (P>0.05).
Conclusion: EUS is superior to SCT for the judgement of tumor infiltration depth, but neither is able to provide satisfactory assessment of lymph node metastases.