Endoscopic Ultrasound and Endorectal Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a Prospective, Comparative Study for Preoperative Staging and Follow-Up of Rectal Cancer

Abstract

Endoscopic ultrasound and endorectal coil MRI are comparable methods in the preoperative staging and early diagnosis of recurrent rectal cancer. The advantages of EUS are the small diameter of the instrument, availability, and lower costs. In contrast, EMRI is operator-independent, and may become important for combined local and distant staging and follow-up examination in rectal cancer, if contrast-enhanced imaging can improve the sensitivity for liver metastases.