ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND (EUS) Guided procedures

EUS IS USEFUL FOR:

  • Diagnosis, biopsy and staging of oesophageal, gastric, duodenal and pancreatic cancer
  • Diagnosis, monitoring and aspiration of pancreatic cysts and other lesions
  • Diagnosis, biopsy and monitoring of oesophageal, gastric and duodenal submucosal and extrinsic masses
  • Drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts
  • Coeliac plexus neurolysis
  • Biopsy of mediastinal masses and lymph nodes 
  • Biliary access

WHAT are GUIDED EUS Procedures?

When combined with a fine-needle aspiration, EUS allows doctors to sample (biopsy) fluid and tissue from your abdomen or chest for analysis. EUS techniques are also used to guide certain treatments such as:

  • Drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts
  • Coeliac plexus neurolysis
  • Cyst drainage
  • Biopsy of mediastinal masses and lymph nodes
  • Biliary access

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EUS? 

Endoscopic Ultrasound is performed with a small ultrasound probe installed on the tip of an endoscope. EUS can:

  • get close to the organ(s) being examined,
  • show generate ultrasound images that can beare more accurate and detailed than images provided by traditional ultrasound which must travel from the outside of the body. 
  • allow a needle to be guided from the tip of the endoscope, through the gastrointestinal wall into a the region of interest
  • EUS guided procedures can be performed with greater comfort and safety than percutaneous (through the skin) procedures

WHAT HAPPENS DURING AN ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND?

A person undergoing an endoscopic ultrasound is sedated prior to the procedure.

After sedation, the doctor inserts an endoscope into the person's mouth. The doctor can see the inside of the intestinal tract on a TV monitor and the ultrasound image on another monitor. The entire procedure usually takes 30 to 90 minutes and the patient usually can go home the same day of the procedure.

ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND RISKS

EUS is performed on an outpatient basis and is well-tolerated by most people.

The most serious risk with any endoscopy is perforation of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach or oesophagus in the case of upper EUS). Fortunately this is extremely rare.

Other risks include bleeding and infection if a biopsy is performed, and pancreatitis if biopsy of the pancreas is biopsied.

The most common side-effects are short-term abdominal pain due to the air used to inflate the stomach during the procedure and a mild sore throat from the endoscope.