Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 13, Issue 7 509-515, Copyright © 1994 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Endorectal color and duplex imaging of the normal rectal wall and rectal masses
A. A. Alexander, J. B. Liu, J. P. Palazzo, Z. Jakob, F. Forsberg, S. M. Ehrlich and B. B. Goldberg
Department of Radiology, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
This study investigates the ability of endorectal ultrasonography aided by
color flow and pulse wave Doppler techniques to identify submucosal
arterial plexuses of the normal rectal wall and to detect vessels supplying
rectal wall masses. Color flow and pulsed wave Doppler analysis of 62
normal submucosal arterial plexuses and vessels feeding rectal wall masses
(one rectal endometriosis and seven rectal cancers) was performed. The
color signals from normal submucosal arterial plexuses and the one case of
rectal endometriosis were judged to be sparse or decreased in comparison to
color signals from rectal cancers. The median and mean P1 values for normal
submucosal arterial plexuses were significantly greater than those for the
central feeding vessels or small peripheral vessels within rectal masses.
Our experience with color and duplex endorectal ultrasonography suggests
that different vascular structures exist in normal persons compared to
those in rectal wall masses. Pathologically, rectal cancers possess vessels
with and without a smooth muscle layer, which may produce the high and low
resistance signals identified by pulse Doppler.
