Evaluation of the T-restaging and effect after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric carcinoma using double contrast-enhanced ultrasonography / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To determine staging accuracy of double contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (DCUS)after neoadjuvant chemotherapy,and to evaluate effect during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced gastric carcinoma(AGC).Methods A total of 29 patients with AGC diagnosed by endoscopy were examined and staged using ultrasound after taking oral contrast agent and bolus injection of SonoVue (DCUS)pre-and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy.T-stage accuracy of post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy and pathological T status of postoperative were compared.All of the subjects were divided into two groups according to RECIST(Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors)chemotherapy benefit group(22cases,includingcomplete response 0 cases.partial response 14 cases,stable disease 8 cases)and progressive group(7 cases).The findings of DCUS of AGC tissues were assessed by auto-tracking contrast quantification(ACQ)software.The baseline intensity(BI)and peak intensity(PI)of gastric carcinoma tissues were measured automatically,and the enhanced intensity(EI)of gastric carcinoma tissues was calculated manually(EI =PI-BI).The quantitative analysis findings of DCUS of each patient pre-and postneoadjuvant chemotherapy between two groups were compared adopting repeated measures method.Results The overall accuracy of T staging in AGC patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were 65.52％ by DCUS,and 0,42.86％and 92.86％respectively for T2 stage,T3 stage and T4 stage.The agreement of this method was weak between T-stage accuracy post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy and pathological T status of postoperative.The Kappa value was 0.33.The difference value of PI and EI between pre-and postneoadjuvant chemotherapy in AGC patients for benefit group was more than that in progressive group.The main effect of BI in AGC tissues between pre-and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy was no significant difference between two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusions Restaging by DCUS after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in AGC patients was found to be inaccurate.However,the difference value of PI and EI between pre-and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy in AGC tissues for benefit group was more than that in progressive group.Thus,the value of PI and EI by ICUS may be a useful clinical parameter with which to evaluate the effect during neoadjuvant chemotherapy and guide therapeutic regimen for AGC patients.