Role of endoscopic ultrasonography for differential diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal submucosal lesions

Objective: To determine the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal submucosal lesions (SMLs). Methods: This was a retrospective study involving patients diagnosed with SMLs using EUS and confirmed by histopathology from November 2014 to December 2020 at The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Results: A total of 231 patients with SMLs were examined by EUS. Histologically, 107 lesions were stromal tumors, and 75 lesions were leiomyomas. Stromal tumors were mainly located in the stomach (89.7%), and leiomyomas were predominantly seen in the esophagus (69.3%). The diagnostic accuracy of EUS for stromal tumors and leiomyomas was 80.4% and 68.0%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was highest for lesions located in the muscularis mucosa. The mean diameter of stromal tumors measured using EUS was significantly larger than that of leiomyomas (21.89 mm vs. 12.35 mm, p < 0.001). Stromal tumors and leiomyomas originated mainly from the muscularis propria (94.4%) and the muscularis mucosa (56.0%), respectively. Compared with the very low-risk and low-risk groups of stromal tumors according to the National Institute of Health guidelines, the intermediate-risk and high-risk groups were more likely to have a lesion > 3 cm (p < 0.001) and a surface ulcer (p < 0.01) identified by EUS. Conclusions: EUS has good diagnostic value for the diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal SMLs based on the lesion size and the muscle layer of origin. The diagnostic accuracy of EUS lesions is related to the origin, and the diagnostic accuracy is greatest in the mucosal muscularis layer. Stromal tumors > 3 cm and a surface ulcer on EUS are likely to be intermediate or high risk for invasion.