By instilling water into the large intestine, sonographic visualization of the whole length of the colon from the rectosigmoid to the cecum can be achieved. Furthermore, using this method, it is possible to evaluate the lumen, the intestinal wall, and the surrounding connective tissue in detail. In our study, severe, active colonic Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis could be detected by diagnostic sonography of the colon with a sensitivity of 91% and 89%, respectively. Pathological changes were subsequently confirmed by colonoscopy. Differing echo patterns made differentiation of these two diseases possible. Our results thus show that colonic sonography is a diagnostic procedure that promises to greatly facilitate the evaluation and differentiation of inflammatory large bowel diseases.

The use of a diagnostic system for ultrasonic liver tissue characterization based on computerized B-mode image analysis is clinically tested and compared with the results of conventional realtime and static grey scale liver ultrasound as independently assessed by three experienced observers. The diagnostic classes, normal, diffuse parenchymal and malignant disease, are clearly differentiated by computerized image analysis which is superior to subjective evaluation of liver echograms. Computerized analysis also renders a reliable and clinically useful diagnostic subclassification of diffuse parenchymal disease into echopattern changes prevalent in chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis/fibrosis, fatty infiltration and a mixed state of cirrhosis/fibrosis with fatty infiltration which cannot be achieved by conventional liver ultrasound.

Hydrocolonic sonography, a new diagnostic procedure, can facilitate the diagnosis and staging of colonic tumors.