[The role of trans-rectal echography (TRE) in the evaluation and staging of bladder tumors: comparison with suprapubic echography and computerized axial tomography (CAT)].

TAU and CT are, after cystoscopy, the two most largely used methods in the diagnosis and the staging of the bladder tumors. TRUS is mostly used in the pathologies of the prostate and the seminal vesicles. 38 patients (34 M and 4 F) suffering from bladder cancer are included in this study in the period from July 1995 to January 1997. They are evaluated with TAU, TRUS and CT in order to evaluate the sensitivity and the specificity of TRUS in the diagnosis and the stadiation of bladder tumors. The patients included in this study are divided in two subgroups as patients having superficial and infiltrating tumors according to pathologic stage after TURB or radical cystoprostatectomy. Specificity and sensitivity values, overstaging and undestaging rates are calculated for each group. In the superficial tumors, TAU had a sensitivity and specificity of 72.2%, while with CT these values were respectively 70% and 75%; in the infiltrating tumors, TAU presented sensitivity of 65% and specificity of 70% while CT presented respectively 72.2% and 77.5%. With TRUS these values were 88.8% and 94.4% in the superficial tumors and 90% and 95% in the infiltrating tumors. The method with the highest overstaging rate was CT with 33.3% while the ones with the highest understaging rates were TAU and CT with 22.2%. The sensitivity with TRUS was 100% in a total of 29 infiltrating and superficial tumors of the trigone while it was only 55.5% in the tumors of the lateral walls and the dome. With TAU these values were respectively 82.7% and 22.2%, with CT respectively 79.3% and 44.4%. The specificity with TRUS was 100% for the tumors of the lateral walls and 77.7% of the dome; with TAU these values were respectively 75.8% and 55.5% with CT 75.8% and 77.7%. In conclusion, TRUS may be used with a high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis and the stadiation of infiltrating and superficial bladder tumors situated at the peritrigonal zone and in the diagnosis of tumors situated in other regions of the bladder.