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Maconi G, Hausken T, Dietrich CF, Pallotta N, Sporea I, Nurnberg D, Dirks K, Romanini L, Serra C, Braden B, Sparchez Z, Gilja OH. Gastrointestinal Ultrasound in Functional Disorders of the Gastrointestinal Tract - EFSUMB Consensus Statement. Ultrasound Int Open 2021; 7:E14-E24. [PMID: 34104853 PMCID: PMC8163523 DOI: 10.1055/a-1474-8013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Abdominal ultrasonography and intestinal ultrasonography are widely used as first diagnostic tools for investigating patients with abdominal symptoms, mainly for excluding organic diseases. However, gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS), as a real-time diagnostic imaging method, can also provide information on motility, flow, perfusion, peristalsis, and organ filling and emptying, with high temporal and spatial resolution. Thanks to its noninvasiveness and high repeatability, GIUS can investigate functional gastrointestinal processes and functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGID) by studying their behavior over time and their response to therapy and providing insight into their pathophysiologic mechanisms. The European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) has established a Task Force Group consisting of GIUS experts, which developed clinical recommendations and guidelines on the role of GIUS in several acute and chronic gastrointestinal diseases. This review is dedicated to the role of GIUS in assisting the diagnosis of FGID and particularly in investigating patients with symptoms of functional disorders, such as dysphagia, reflux disorders, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits. The available scientific evidence of GIUS in detecting, assessing, and investigating FGID are reported here, while highlighting sonographic findings and its usefulness in a clinical setting, defining the actual and potential role of GIUS in the management of patients, and providing information regarding future applications and research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Maconi
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, "L.Sacco" University Hospital, Milano, Italy
| | - Trygve Hausken
- Department of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Christoph F Dietrich
- Department Allgemeine Innere Medizin, Kliniken Hirslanden Beau-Site, Salem und Permanence, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nadia Pallotta
- Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Ioan Sporea
- Department of Gastroenterology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Victor Babes Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania.,Department of Gastroenterology, Universitatea de Vest din Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Dieter Nurnberg
- Brandenburg Institute for Clinical Ultrasound (BICUS) - Medical University Brandenburg "Theodor Fontane", Faculty of Medicine and Philosophy and Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Neuruppin, Germany
| | - Klaus Dirks
- Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine, Rems-Murr-Klinikum Winnenden, Winnenden, Germany
| | - Laura Romanini
- Department of Radiology, Radiologia 1, Hospital of Cremona, Cremona, Italy
| | - Carla Serra
- Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, Hospital of Bologna Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, Bologna, Italy
| | - Barbara Braden
- Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Zeno Sparchez
- 3rd Medical Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Odd Helge Gilja
- Haukeland University Hospital, Haukeland University Hospital, and Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Tozzi P, Bongiorno D, Vitturini C. Fascial release effects on patients with non-specific cervical or lumbar pain. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2011; 15:405-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2010.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2010] [Revised: 11/22/2010] [Accepted: 11/24/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Rokade ML. Sonographic demonstration of cervical esophageal web. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ULTRASOUND : JCU 2006; 34:134-7. [PMID: 16547989 DOI: 10.1002/jcu.20204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
We report a case of esophageal web demonstrated with sonography in a 45-year-old woman with dysphagia. The esophageal web was incidentally detected as a circumferential hypoechoic membrane on sonograms of the cervical esophagus.
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Zhu SY, Liu RC, Chen LH, Luo F, Yang H, Feng X, Liao XH. Sonographic demonstration of the normal thoracic esophagus. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ULTRASOUND : JCU 2005; 33:29-33. [PMID: 15690445 DOI: 10.1002/jcu.20083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Although conventional sonography has been used widely in evaluation of the abdominal and cervical esophagus, its use in the thoracic esophagus is seldom mentioned. The aim of this study was to assess whether conventional sonography could demonstrate the thoracic esophagus and to determine this structure's normal sonographic appearance and measurements. METHODS Transthoracic sonography was performed in 253 healthy volunteers ranging in age from 12 to 72 years (mean, 41 +/- 15 years). The subjects were examined while supine with their hands raised over their heads; the transducer was placed along the left side of the sternum sequentially from the first to the fifth intercostal spaces. The ultrasound beam was directed to the thoracic aorta using the heart as an acoustic window. The detectable length of the thoracic esophagus was measured in the longitudinal scan from the upper most part visualized to the point at which it penetrated the diaphragm. The esophageal thickness was measured on the anterior wall at the level of the left atrium. RESULTS In 188 (74%) of the 253 subjects, the thoracic esophagus could be demonstrated by sonography, except for the portion under the first and second intercostal spaces. In 3 of these 188 subjects, the esophagus also was not visualized at the third intercostal space. In these 188 subjects, the esophageal wall was shown as 3 layers. The esophageal lumen appeared as 1 or 2 hyperechoic bands in longitudinal sonograms. In 163 subjects, gas artifact and the comet-tail sign, with downward movement, were seen in the esophageal lumen after swallowing. The mean demonstrable length of the thoracic esophagus was 10.2 +/- 1.9 cm and the mean thickness 3.2 +/- 0.3 mm. CONCLUSIONS Most of the thoracic esophagus can be visualized by sonography, except for a short portion at the back of the left main bronchus. The heart and the thoracic aorta are 2 important landmarks in scanning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang-Yong Zhu
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, 6 South Bin-Hu Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People's Republic of China
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Zhu SY, Liu RC, Chen LH, Yang H, Feng X, Liao XH. Sonographic anatomy of the cervical esophagus. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ULTRASOUND : JCU 2004; 32:163-171. [PMID: 15101076 DOI: 10.1002/jcu.20017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Although conventional sonography is used widely for evaluation of the gastroesophageal junction, its use in the cervical esophagus is still limited. The aim of this study was to assess the use of sonography to demonstrate this portion of the esophagus. METHODS The cervical esophagi in 60 cadavers and 435 healthy volunteers were examined sonographically. Among the healthy subjects 182 were scanned with a transducer operating at 7.5 MHz, 183 with a 10.0-MHz transducer, and 70 with a 12.0-MHz transducer. Sonographic layer patterns were compared among the groups. Sonographic and histologic analyses were also performed on 3 cadaveric esophageal specimens to correlate the sonographic appearances with the anatomical findings. RESULTS Scans of the cadavers showed that the cervical esophagus lay between the trachea and vertebrae, with its origin at the midline; it gradually moved to the left as it descended toward the trunk. It moved to the right when the cadaver's head was turned to the left and the trachea was pushed gently to the left. Based on these anatomical characteristics, visualization of the cervical esophagus was optimized by scanning from both the left and the right lateral approaches, with manipulation of the trachea as needed. In scans of the 435 healthy subjects, the esophageal wall was shown as 5 layers in 423 (97.2%) and as 7 layers in the remaining 12 (2.8%). The demonstration rate of the 7-layer pattern was significantly higher for subjects scanned at 12.0 MHz than for those scanned at 10.0 and 7.5 MHz (p < 0.01). The layers demonstrated sonographically corresponded to histological structures evident on microscopy. CONCLUSIONS The left lateral approach is essential to sonography of the cervical esophagus. However, the right wall of the esophagus is best seen from the right. In transverse scans, the cervical esophagus wall usually appears to be composed of 5 layers, although 7 layers can also appear, especially as the transducer frequency is increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang-Yong Zhu
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, 6 South Bin-Hu Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People's Republic of China
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Chen MH, Kikuchi Y, Chu BC, Kishimoto R, Choji K, Miyasaka K. Demonstration of the distal end of the oesophagus by transabdominal ultrasound. Br J Radiol 1997; 70:1215-21. [PMID: 9505839 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.70.840.9505839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to demonstrate the distal end of the oesophagus using a transabdominal ultrasound technique (TUS) and to measure the normal oesophageal wall thickness in adults. 65 patients without oesophageal disease and 38 normal volunteers were examined by TUS. A left subcostal approach was used to demonstrate the oesophagus. The wall thickness and length were measured in both the supine and 45 degrees right side up oblique (RUO) positions. The abdominal oesophagus was visualized in 80% of patients in the supine position and 92% in the RUO position. Satisfactory demonstration was obtained in 67% of patients in the supine and 85% in the RUO position. The oesophageal wall thickness averaged 2.8 mm (range 2.0-4.0 mm, SD 0.7 mm). The visualized length in these subjects averaged 2.3 cm in the supine position and 3.0 cm in the RUO position, which included approximately 1.5 cm of the lowest portion of the thoracic oesophagus in addition to the abdominal oesophagus. TUS can demonstrate the abdominal oesophagus in the majority of patients and has the potential to provide information on disorders of structure and motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Chen
- Department of Radiology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
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Changchien CS, Hsu CC. Use of sonography in the evaluation of the gastroesophageal junction. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ULTRASOUND : JCU 1996; 24:67-72. [PMID: 8621809 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0096(199602)24:2<67::aid-jcu3>3.0.co;2-i] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
To demonstrate the gastroesophageal junction with a real-time, transabdominal sonography through the window of left lobe of liver, the normal sonographic pattern and the thickness of the wall of abdominal esophagus were determined. The detection rate of the normal pattern in 30 control subjects was 93%, the normal thickness of the wall being 3.8 +/- 1.2 mm (range 2 mm to 5 mm). In 7 patients with severe acute esophageal inflammation, the thickness was 7.6 +/- 2.1 mm (range 5 mm to 10 mm). In 6 patients with an invading lesion in the gastroesophageal junction due to malignancy, the thickness of the wall was more than 10 mm in each case. This preliminary study indicates that the sonographic detection of gastroesophageal junction through the liver window can be included in routine abdominal sonography. An increased thickness of the wall needs further study to find the cause of the thickening.
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Affiliation(s)
- C S Changchien
- Division of Gastroenterology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan
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Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations of systemic sclerosis (SSc) were found in 82% of 262 patients followed up prospectively. Esophageal dysmotility, lower esophageal sphincter laxity, bacterial overgrowth, and wide mouth diverticuli were the most common findings. The disease is usually diffuse with multiple levels of involvement. Gastrointestinal involvement was not significantly correlated with gender, age at SSc diagnosis or disease type (limited or diffuse scleroderma). Upper GI symptoms develop early in the course of SSc and may not correlate with objective findings. Various investigations, treatment regimens, and less frequent disease manifestations are reviewed and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Abu-Shakra
- University of Toronto Rheumatic Disease Unit, Wellesley Hospital, Ontario, Canada
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