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Endoscopic Ultrasonography (EUS) is usually a time-consuming procedure. Most of the time is generally spent to measure, mark or illustrate images prior to print a report copy or for file storage.We created and tested a novel computerized system (EndoX) with dedicated hardware and software in order to minimize the procedure time, to record and to store images of the entire examination and to finally process all the information and to save them in a database. A common assembled pc (Pentium 500 MHz) with a digital video capturing and storing images system, directly connected with the Olympus Evis 140 system and the EUS UM 20 was tested. Images are captured and stored as single or multiple frame in real time during the exam with a remote foot control that works also without requiring any previously freeze. Images are stored on a hard disk and included in a database. Software for images management, working with the Windows 98/NT operative system, has a complete set of graphic utilities (measure, write, erase, zoom, resize, adjust etc) and it is able to export images, in 19 formats, to numerous devices (color printer, vhs, u-matic, palette etc). This images manager software is also integrated with a new endoscopic report generator that includes standardized endoscopic nomenclature. The report is printed with a colour printer using photo quality glossy paper and it consists in one page endoscopic description and in one or more high quality images (from one up to six) each page. This novel dedicated software is a quite simple and extremely useful tool in the elaboration of EUS images. The required time to perform the EUS procedure is markedly reduced with certainly less discomfort for the patient. The EUS images, stored in a high quality format, in a digital system (optical disk, recordable-cd, tapes, zip disk etc), are free of any risk of damage. The stored data are easily retrieved from the pc database and utilized for clinical, research and academic purposes.

A close association between gastric Helicobacter pyloriinfection and MALT lymphoma of the stomach has been described and H. pylorieradicationcan result in histological regression of the gastric lymphoma in most cases. Recent studies suggest that EUS may provide informations useful to predict the lymphoma response to antibiotic therapy: deeper the gastric wall infiltration lower the response rate. AIMS:to compare the gastric wall structure in early gastric MALT lymphoma and chronic H. pylori-associated gastritis. METHODS:10 pts. with low grade gastric MALT lymphoma occasionally diagnosed by biopsies taken in the presence of an endoscopic pattern of gastritis and 10 pts. with H. pylori-associated gastritis were evaluated. Both groups have negative endoscopic appearance (no severe lesions except erythema or aspect of mild atrophy). EUS was performed with a radial (Olympus GF-UM 20 7.5-12 MHz) echoendoscope with the water-filled technique. Thickness of the entire gastric wall and of the mucosa and submucosa layers was measured in antrum, corpus and fundus. RESULTS:structure of the wall with respect to echogenicity, layering and thickness is similar in the two groups (i.e. low-grade MALT lymphoma and gastritis). CONCLUSION:Patients with histological diagnosis of lowgrade gastric lymphoma but no evidence of any endoscopic lesions showed an EUS pattern with normal frequencies (7.5-12 MHz) superimposable to the one observed in H. pylori-associated gastritis. This subset of MALT lymphoma patients may have an early disease with the highest chances of prolonged remission with antibiotic therapy.