Preliminary data from a multicenter Italian study: use of EUS-Elastography and Contrast in the differential diagnosis of SELs

Aims Distinguishing gastrointestinal subepithelial lesions (GI-SELs) poses a clinical challenge because Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) is adept at detecting them but may fall short in providing effective differentiation. New methodologies have been introduced which provide further details and potential prognostic information. Elastography (EUS-E) allows to carry out a qualitative and semi-quantitative assessment of tissue stiffness, but for now only a few studies have examined its role in the diagnosis of SELs. Recent findings indicate that contrast agents enhance the diagnostic accuracy of EUS (CE-EUS) for SELs. The purpose of the study is to examine the performance of the EUS-E and CE-EUS in differentiating GI-SELs, and in particular gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).