Endoscopic ultrasound combines minimally invasive endoscopic technology with the imaging capabilities of ultrasound. An ultrasound probe within the endoscope produces sound waves that create high-resolution images of the area being studied. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is used to both diagnose and treat disorders of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, the biliary tract, pancreas and liver.
EUS allows your gastroenterologist to examine the entire wall of the stomach or intestines rather than just the outer tissue lining, and to study organs next to the gastrointestinal tract, such as the gall bladder and pancreas. Using this technology, your physician can pass a small needle across the stomach or intestine into an adjacent organ to sample tissue or fluid to confirm a diagnosis. In some cases, endoscopic ultrasound may be used to inject medications or other agents into diseased tissue.
EUS is sometimes combined with other modalities, such as endoscopic retrograde cholangio- pancreatography or ERCP, to give your gastroenterologist better images of the bile, pancreatic and liver ducts that empty into the small intestine.
Endoscopic ultrasound may be used to evaluate cancers of the digestive and respiratory systems. The procedure enables your gastroenterologist to determine the stage of the cancer and whether it has spread to other areas.