Laparoscopic ultrasonography for abdominal tumor staging.

In recent years, laparoscopic ultrasonography has been introduced as an adjunct to diagnostic laparoscopy for staging of tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary tree, and pancreas. It has proved feasible to visualize most anatomic structures in the upper abdomen consistently and in detail with laparoscopic ultrasonography. Recent publications indicate that laparoscopic ultrasonography may be useful for detecting small liver metastases, lymph node metastases, small primary tumors of the pancreas and bile ducts, and for the assessment of the local extension of tumors of the pancreas and stomach. The ongoing improvements in US technology and the results of larger studies will in the near future determine the precise place of this new imaging modality for staging of abdominal tumors.