ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: When a submucosal lesion is discovered through an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, it may be often difficult to differentiate an extra-gastric compression from a true submucosa1 tumor (SMT). An endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) provides information about the relationship between a lesion and the gastric or esophageal wall. Furthermore, EUS helps in identifying the compression caused by surrounding organs. The diagnostic usefulness of EUS for extralumina1 compressed lesion was assessed. METHODS: The 261 patients who received an endoscopic diagnosis of submucosal tumors had EUS examinations performed. The results of EUS to additional diagnostic procedures such as UGI, USG, CT scan or tissue biopsy were then compared. RESULTS: Of 261 patients who received endoseopic diagnosis as SMT, extraluminal compression existed in 46 (17.6%) cases and true intramural lesion were found in 215 (82.4%) cases on EUS. The causes of extraluminal compression are lymph nodes (2 case.), the gallbladder (12 cases), the pancreas (9 cases), the spleen (6 cases), a pancreatic pseudocyst (5 cases), pancreatic cancer (2 cases), a hepatic cyst (2 cases), the left lobe of the liver (4 cases), hepatoma (1 case), a mesenteric tumor (2 caws) and a splenic vein (1 case). CONCLUSIONS: EUS is considered to be a useful diagnostic method not only for differential diagnosis of extraluminal compression from true SWT, but also for clarifying the cause of extraluminal compressed lesions.