The effect of endoscopic ultrasound on the precise selection of endoscopic treatment for submucosal tumors in the upper gastrointestinal tract

Objective To summarize and discuss the guiding role of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in selecting endoscopic treatments for submucosal tumors (SMTs) in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Methods A retrospective investigation was conducted on 156 SMT patients who received endoscopic resection guided by EUS in the endoscopy center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from May 2019 to September 2021. Next, the size, pathological type, and distribution of lesions were analyzed; the correlation of the tumor origin with distribution of lesions and selection of treatments was explored; and the consistency of preoperative EUS diagnosis and postoperative pathological diagnosis was summarized and analyzed. Results The tumor diameters of the included SMT patients ranged from 0.3 to 4 cm, with a mean diameter of 0.95 cm; the lesions were mostly located in the esophagus, gastric fundus or fundic cardia and gastric body. As for the pathological types, liomyoma was the most common tumor in the esophagus, liomyoma and mesenchymoma were mainly located in the fundic cardia and gastric body, and heterotopic pancreas was mostly discovered in the gastric sinus. Among 38 esophageal SMT patients, some with lesions originating from muscularis mucosa and submucosa under EUS mainly underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and endoscope band ligation (EBL); while others with lesions originated from muscularis propria mainly received submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER). Of 115 gastric SMT patients under EUS, some with lesion origins from the muscularis mucosa and submucosa mainly underwent endoscopic submucosal excavation (ESE), while others from muscularis propria mainly underwent ESE, ESD, and endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR). Besides, 3 duodenal SMT patients with lesion origins from submucosa and muscularis propria under EUS were given ESD and ESE, respectively. Additionally, 121 cases showed a consistency between the EUS diagnosis and the postoperative pathological nature, and the consistency rate was 84.6%. Conclusion Clarifying the origin layer, size, growth pattern, and pathological nature of the lesion through preoperative EUS can guide the precise selection of endoscopic treatments, thereby ensuring a safe, effective, and complete surgical outcomes and reducing complications. Keywords: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), Submucosal tumor (SMT), Endoscopic treatment