[Ultrasound diagnosis of chronic paracolic inflammatory mass in diverticular disease]. / Ul'trazvukovaya diagnostika khronicheskogo parakolicheskogo infil'trata pri divertikulyarnoi bolezni obodochnoi kishki.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound in diagnosis of chronic paracolic inflammatory mass in patients with diverticular disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed ultrasonic findings in 216 patients with chronic inflammatory complications of colonic diverticular disease. Chronic paracolic inflammatory mass as the most common and significant chronic complication of diverticular disease was analyzed in 116 patients. Ultrasonic findings were compared with specimen assessment, intraoperative data, irrigoscopy, colonoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography data. RESULTS: Sensitivity of ultrasound for diagnosis of chronic paracolic inflammatory mass was 76,7%, specificity - 100%, overall accuracy - 87,5%. CT and endoscopic ultrasound were the most informative among different diagnostic tools (sensitivity 79,6% and 77,8%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic examination and computed tomography are the most valuable methods for diagnosis of chronic paracolic inflammatory mass in patients with diverticular disease. Ultrasound is a first-line method for diagnosis and follow-up of complicated diverticular disease due to its availability, safety and unnecessary special preparation of patients.

[Intestinal manifestations of Behçet's disease].

Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis of unknown origin, characterized by recurrences of the ulcerative process in the oral cavity and on the genitals, inflammatory damage of the eyes, joints, vessels and other organs. The severity and prognosis of BD determines organ pathology. Intestinal manifestations of BD (intestinal BD) are the least studied. Its verification in BD is complicated by the variety of clinical manifestations, their similarity with inflammatory bowel diseases, the lack of informative laboratory tests, pathognomonic endoscopic and histological signs. Intestinal BD can lead to serious complications (massive bleeding, intestinal perforation and fistula formation), which can not only significantly reduce the quality of the patient's life, but also cause death. Treatment of intestinal BD is not standardized; it is mainly empirical and conducted courses. The purpose of therapy is to achieve clinical remission, healing of intestinal ulcers and prevention of surgery. The article presents a case of severe refractory intestinal BD, requiring twice emergency surgical care - removal of half and then the whole of the colon because of multiple perforations. A brief review of the literature is given and diagnostic difficulties of intestinal BD are discussed.

[Early Rectal Cancer: Can Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) Become the Standard Treatment?]

Aim: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) is a main treatment technique for rectal adenomas, but can also be used for selected malignant tumors. This study presents TEM experience. Methods: The study enrolled patients with rectal adenomas, and selected adenocarcinomas. Preoperative work-up included: digital rectal examination, rectoscopy with biopsy, colonoscopy, EUS, pelvic MRI. Results: Three hundred and thirty patients [mean age of 61,4±10 (33­88)] underwent TEM. The mean size ± SD of tumors was 3.2±1.2 cm (0.6­10.0). Mean distance from anal verge was 6.7±2.6 cm (2.0­14.0). Preoperative biopsy revealed: adenoma ­ 263/330 (79,7%), adenocarcinoma ­ 67/330 (20,3%). The median operating time was 40 (15­220) min. Tumor-free margins were obtained in all operative specimens. In 5/330 (1.5%) cases tumors were fragmented. The morbidity rate was 19/330 (5.7%). Pathological investigation revealed: adenoma in 192/330 (58.1%) cases, adenocarcinoma stage Tis, T1, T2 and T3 in 138/330 (41.9%). Median follow-up lasted for 24 (1­57) months. Five patients (2.0%) with adenoma and four patients (5.2%) with adenocarcinoma had local recurrence. Conclusion: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery for rectal adenomas and selected malignant tumors is associated with low morbidity and low recurrents rates.

[Long-term results of excision of anal fissure in combination with lateral subcutaneous sphincterotomy].

One hundred and seventeen patients with anal fissure underwent fissure excision in combination with lateral subcutaneous sphincterotomy. The mean follow-up after treatment was 4.3 years. All the patients were questioned by the phone. Thirty-six ones who had some symptoms were examined at outpatient department. The examination included physical examination, anorectal manometry, endorectal ultrasonography, irrigoscopy, defecography. Recurrences of anal fissure were revealed in 12 (10.2%) patients. The cause of recurrence was incomplete sphincterotomy. Different grade of anal incontinence was revealed in 23 patients: 2 of them had soiling, 12 -- incontinence of the flatus, 8 -- incontinence of liquid faeces, 1 -- incontinence of solid faeces. In 4 patients the cause of anal incontinence was excessive sphincter section during sphincterotomy, in 16 -- perineal descent syndrome, in 3 -- advanced age. It is concluded that it is necessary to modify surgical technique and to examine patients more carefully before surgery including anorectal manometry.

[Prognosis of epidermoid anal carcinoma regression after conservative treatment]. / Prognoz regressii opukholi pri konservativnoi terapii épidermoidnogo raka anal'nogo kanala.

The prospective study was concerned with definition of the clinical and therapeutic factors behind poor response of anal cancer to radio- (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Out of 64 female and 8 male patients at the mean age of 57 (33-81), thirty six had split-course of 60-65 Gy (RT), twenty--60-65 Gy, 5-FU and mitomycin C (CRT) and eighteen--up to 55-65 Gy (1.5 Gy--session 1, 1.0 Gy--session 2) (hyper-fractionated RT) plus 5-FU, for squamous cell anal carcinoma. There was no endorectal ultrasound evidence of perirectal lymph node involvement (uN0): T1-2uN-M0 (n=46), T3-4uN0M0 (n=11), uN1 or N2-3 (groin or endorectal ultrasound: T1-2uN-M0 (n=46), T3-4uN0M0 (n=11), uN1 or N2-3 (groin metastases) were detected in 7 patients: T1-2uN1-2M0 (n=7), T3-4N1-3M0 (n=10). Endorectal ultrasound staging (ERUS) used a linear 7.5 MHz transducer. The uTNM system was devised on the basis of tumor invasion parameters. There were no tumors confined to the subendothelial layer of the anal canal (uT1); 24 (32.4%) tumors were confined to the internal anal sphincter (uT2); 19 (25.7%) invaded the external anal sphincter (uT3) and 31 (41.9%)--levator ani (uT4). All carcinomas T4 (n=9) corresponded to the uT4 category. Only T-stage and tumor invasion (uT) proved significant prognostic variables. Complete response of T1-2 was 79.2%, T3-4--33.3% (p=0.0003); uT2--95.8%, uT3--68.4%, and uT4--41.9% (except T4) (p=0.0001). In multivariate logistic analysis, uT alone appeared an independent variable (p=0.015). ERUS uTNM staging is more effective in prognosis for RT and CRT and, therefore, should be recommended for preliminary management of epidermoid anal carcinoma.

[Differential diagnosis of non-epithelial rectal neoplasms]. / Differentsialnaia diagnostika neépitelialnykh opukholei priamoi kishki.

Experience in the treatment of 118 patients with nonepithelial new growths of the rectum has been accumulated at the Scientific Research Institute of Proctology in the period from 1970 to 1991. They accounted for 1.5% of all benign and malignant tumors of this organ. Leiomyoma was diagnosed in 44, leiomyosarcoma in 18, lipoma in 30, fibroma in 17, neurinoma in 7 and rhabdomyoma in 2 of these patients. A differential diagnosis was made between benign and malignant tumors, as well as with other nonepithelial new growth of the rectum. On the basis of the clinical picture and the results of digital and instrumental (radiological, endoscopic, and ultrasonic) examination of the rectum the correct preoperative diagnosis may be established with certain probability. This influences directly the choice of the volume of the operative intervention in various types of nonepithelial rectal tumors. Morphological verification of the tumor is the principal method of examination in establishing the differential diagnosis in the preoperative and postoperative periods.

[The differential diagnosis of focal formations in the liver by using ultrasonography]. / Differentsial'naia diagnostika ochagovykh obrazovanii v pecheni s ispol'zovaniem ul'trasonografii.

The results of hepatic ultrasonography were analyzed for 460 patients who had been treated surgically for cancer of the rectum. These were compared to histological evidence on the removed macropreparation and on intraoperative revision of the liver. Six types of the metastases were recognized to facilitate differential diagnosis of cancer with benign hepatic tumors, abscesses and focal fat dystrophy. Ultrasound semiotics of hemangioma, abscess, hepatic cyst is presented. Ultrasound accuracy in diagnosis of hepatic metastases reached 95%. It is shown that metastases of the same tumor type have different structure which may be related to the tumor histology and duration of the disease.

[Preoperative evaluation of the local spread of rectal tumors using ultrasonography]. / Preoperatsionnaia otsenka mestnogo rasprostraneniia opukholi priamoi kishki s pomoshch'iu ul'trasonografii.

Ultrasonography with the use of the method of sectorial and complex manual scanning is a valuable additional method of examination of the rectum for diagnosing the local spread of the tumor. The diagnostic accuracy of the method of examination of the rectum through the anterior abdominal wall for the establishment of the depth of tumor infiltration of the intestinal wall and the surrounding fat is 82.7%.

[A comparative evaluation of methods for diagnosing recurrence of rectal cancer after radical surgery]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka metodov diagnostiki retsidivov raka priamoi kishki posle radikal'nykh operatsii.

As a result of a study of 173 cases of rectal cancer, applicability of bleomycin-111indium for diagnosis of tumor recurrences was shown. Assays of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a separate diagnostic procedure proved inadequate due to their low sensitivity (42.1%). Since the effectiveness of ultrasonography application in diagnosing rectal cancer was as high as 91%, it should be recommended for follow-up of radically operated patients.

[Ultrasonography in the diagnosis of metastases of cancer of the large intestine to the liver]. / Ul'trasonografiia v diagnostike metastazov v pechen' pri rake tolstoi kishki.

Ultrasonography using a method of sectional and contact scanning is a valuable method of diagnosis of metastatic liver involvement in colon cancer. The diagnostic accuracy of the method is 95.6%. It has been noted that metastases of the same colon tumor type have different echostructure which depends on a period of disease and size of metastases. The author has defined 6 types of changes in the echostructure of metastases. In individual cases in a certain structure of metastasis changes in the liver parenchyma at ultrasonography were undetectable.