Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to measure the precise distance from the lowest boundary of
a rectal tumor to the anal verge (DTAV) in patients with rectal cancer.
Materials and Methods
A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data from 70 rectal cancer
patients. DTAV measurements were collected using transrectal biplane
ultrasound, MRI, and colonoscopy.
Results
The difference in DTAV measurements between the mean DTAV value obtained by
ultrasound (USmean) and colonoscopy exhibited a difference of
0.22 cm. In contrast, the difference between USmean and MRI was
0.48 cm, while the difference between MRI and colonoscopy was −0.26 cm. The
ICC for DTAV measurements demonstrated excellent agreement, with values of
0.948 between USmean and MRI, 0.942 between USmean and
colonoscopy, and 0.943 between MRI and colonoscopy. The minimum DTAV value
obtained by ultrasound (USmin) was 5.05 cm, the middle DTAV value
obtained by ultrasound (USmid) was 5.10 cm, and the maximum DTAV
value obtained by ultrasound (USmax) was 5.30 cm. Notably, the
median values of the differences in DTAV measurements between
USmax and USmin, USmax and
USmid, as well as USmid and USmin, were
0.2 cm, 0.1 cm, and 0.1 cm, respectively. Furthermore, the consistency of
DTAV measurements between USmin and USmid,
USmax and USmid, as well as USmin and
USmax was excellent, with all ICC values reaching 0.999.
Additionally, the radiologistʼs reassessment of MRI DTAV data showed
excellent consistency with the original results, with an ICC value of 0.985.
Conclusion
Transrectal biplane ultrasound utilizing EFOV imaging technology exhibited
both accuracy and reproducibility for measuring DTAV. This approach provided
a highly efficient and practical clinical tool for DTAV measurement.
Keywords
rectal cancer - colonoscopy - MR imaging - transrectal biplane ultrasound - extended
field of view technology
Bibliographical Record
Yan Zhang, Lu Liang, Huachong Ma, Jiagang Han, Xiuzhang Lv, Huiyu Ge. Evaluating Extended
Field of View Imaging for Measuring Rectal Tumor
Lowest Boundary to Anal Verge Distance via Transrectal Biplane
Ultrasound. Ultrasound Int Open 2025; 11: a25696939.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2569-6939