Fukushima J. Med. Sci., Vol. 56, No. 2, 2010

[Original Article]

AN ELECTRONIC RADIAL SCANNING ECHOENDOSCOPE IS SUPERIOR TO A MECHANICAL RADIAL SCANNING ECHOENDOSCOPE IN ULTRASOUND IMAGE QUALITY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT AND PANCREATICOBILIARY LESIONS

TAKUTO HIKICHI¹⁾, ATSUSHI IRISAWA²⁾, TADAYUKI TAKAGI²⁾, GORO SHIBUKAWA²⁾, TAKERU WAKATSUKI²⁾, HIDEMICHI IMAMURA²⁾, YUTA TAKAHASHI²⁾, AI SATO²⁾, MASAKI SATO²⁾, TSUNEHIKO IKEDA²⁾, REI SUZUKI²⁾, KO WATANABE²⁾, JUN NAKAMURA²⁾, HIROMASA OHIRA²⁾ and KATSUTOSHI OBARA¹⁾

¹⁾Department of Endoscopy, Fukushima Medical University Hospital, Fukushima, Japan, ²⁾Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Division of Medicine, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan

(Received June 1, 2010, accepted July 30, 2010)

Abstract: [Purpose] To objectively compare the electronic radial scanning echoendoscope (ER-ES) with the mechanical radial scanning echoendoscope (MR-ES) in the quality of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) images of gastrointestinal tract and pancreaticobiliary lesions.　[Methods] Studied were 56 patients: 20 with gastric cancer, 20 with gallbladder lesions, and 16 with intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas (IPMN).　They were subjected to EUS, half of them using the ER-ES, and the other half using the MR-ES.　EUS images thus obtained were evaluated concerning four items in patients with gastric cancer and those with gallbladder lesions, and three items in patients with IPMN.　Six endosonographers blindly assessed two EUS images per patient on a visual analogue scale.　In each of the three groups of patients, the evaluators' median scores for the ER-ES and MR-ES for each item were compared.　[Results] The median scores for the ER-ES were significantly higher than those for the MR-ES in all items in patients with gastric cancer and those with IPMN, and in one item in patients with gallbladder lesions.　[Conclusion] The ER-ES is certainly superior to the MR-ES in the quality of EUS images of gastrointestinal tract and pancreaticobiliary lesions.

Key words: EUS, electronic radial scanning echoendoscope, electronic EUS, mechanical radial scanning echoendoscope, EUS-FNA

引地拓人，入澤篤志，高木忠之，渋川悟朗，若槻　尊，今村秀道，高橋裕太，佐藤　愛，佐藤匡記，池田恒彦，鈴木　玲，渡辺　晃，中村　純，大平弘正，小原勝敏

Corresponding author: Takuto Hikichi, MD, PhD.
E-mail address: takuto@fmu.ac.jp
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