11 | The ultrasound management of elderly patients with suspected abdominal neoplastic diseases

V. Carrieri, A. Bray | Casa di cura prof Petrucciani Scuola di Ecografia SIUMB, Lecce

Introduction. The aim of the work is to illustrate the role of Ultrasonography (US) in the management of elderly patients with suspected abdominal neoplastic.

 
Materials and Methods. 300 elderly patients from 70 to 90 years,150 women, 150 men, without symptoms and clinical data related to An abdominal neoplastic disease were evaluated with US of abdomen. All our elderly patients were affected by abdominal pain.

Results. We identified 3 groups of patients: group 1. 105 patients with abdominal pain and without abdominal diseases detected with US; group 2: 40 patients with an US examination in which was suspected a neoplastic disease (3 colon, 2 stomach, 10 liver, 2 gallbladder, 3 kidney, 3 prostate, 2 biliary tree, 3 pancreas, 2 urinary bladder, 1 uterus, 2 ovary, 2 peritoneum, 3 lymph nodes, 2 neoplastic ascites); group 3: 155 patients with diseases non neoplastic detected with US (44 gallbladder stones, 26 renal stones, 15 urinary bladder stones, 10 pancreatitis, 5 biliary tree stones, 10 renal cyst, 4 ovarian cyst, 3 uterus fibroma, 17 significant prostatic hypertrophy, 4 aortic aneurisms; 7 hydronephrosis; 10 hepatic cyst. All diagnoses were confirmed with other diagnostic techniques. 

Conclusions. In the 300 elderly patients examinated with US the prevalence of abdominal neoplastic was very significant and these data confirm that in the elderly patients, often without symptoms or with only abdominal pain it is very important to perform complete US abdominal examination. US allows to made quickly appropriate diagnosis and to start adeguate medical therapy or surgery.