Combined Radiological and Endoscopic Examination in Gastric Tumors

Abstract

One hundred patients, suspected to be affected with gastric cancer, were examined at first roentgenologically and afterwards with a new gastroscope, the fiberscope. A correct diagnosis was performed by the radiologist in 79 patients, by the endoscopist in 87, and with the combined examinations in 91 cases. From the results obtained in this study, it appears that gastroscopy is specially indicated when x-ray findings are uncertain or when there is not agreement between radiological conclusions and clinical signs. In addition, the gastroscopic examination may be able to reveal a neoplastic degeneration of a gastric ulcer, still unsuspected by the radiologist. Gastroscopy has no advantages in the exploration of intramural lesions, but it is sometimes useful in large tumors, already radio-logically diagnosed, in order to discover distant intraluminal metastases.