Introduction:

To define an adequate therapeutic strategy in rectal cancer, a correct staging is necessary. For this, advanced diagnostic means have been developed to evaluate the rectal wall. Endoscopic Ultrasound a fundamental technique; combines endoscopic image with ultrasound; in tumors treated with radiotherapy, its profitability decreases due to fibrosis that originates in the rectal wall; indistinguishable from the elements of malignancy. Elastography offers the possibility of resolving this limitation.

Objective:

To offer an update on elastography by endoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis of the patient with rectal tumor.

Development:

Elastography is based on the alterations that fibrosis and cancer induce in the elasticity of the tissue. Determine if a tissue is malignant or benign by analyzing its hardness. Images are obtained that are expressed on a color map superimposed on the conventional endoscopic ultrasound image. Many investigations demonstrate its high sensitivity and specificity in tumors of the pancreas and lymph nodes, some in esophageal tumors, however very few in rectal cancer.

Conclusions:

Elastography has improved the diagnosis and oncological follow-up of the patient with rectal tumor.

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