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2630 Grant Line Road
New Albany, IN 47150
Phone:
812-945-0145
Fax: 812-949-5435
825 University Woods
Drive, Ste. 2
New Albany, IN 47150
Phone:
812-945-0145
Fax: 812-949-5443
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The doctors of Gastroenterology of Southern Indiana must often perform
routine procedures for the evaluation and treatment of many digestive tract
problems. The information below is meant as a reference only and should
not be used as diagnostic treatment.
Endoscopic Ultrasound
(EUS)
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General information
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) combines endoscopy and ultrasound in order
to obtain images and information about the digestive tract and the
surrounding tissue and organs.
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Reasons for exam
EUS provides your doctor more detailed pictures of your digestive tract
anatomy. Your doctor can use EUS to diagnose the cause of conditions
such as abdominal pain or abnormal weight loss. Or, if your doctor has
ruled out certain conditions, EUS can confirm your diagnosis and give
you a clean bill of health.
EUS is also used to evaluate an abnormality, such as a growth, that was
detected at a prior endoscopy or by x-ray. EUS provides a detailed
picture of the growth, which can help your doctor determine its nature
and decide upon the best treatment.
In addition, EUS can be used to diagnose diseases of the pancreas, bile
duct and gallbladder when other tests are inconclusive.
Preparation for the exam
EUS is performed with sedation so you will not be able to
return to work or to drive for 24 hours. It also means that you will
need someone to take you home as this is usually an out-patient
procedure.
You will need to have an empty stomach that means no oral intake for 6
or more hours. In case of a rectal EUS you will probably need to take
some enemas or laxatives. In either case, full instructions will be
given to you.
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Equipment
In EUS a small ultrasound transducer is installed on the tip of
the endoscope. By inserting the endoscope into the upper or the lower
digestive tract one can obtain high quality ultrasound images of the
organs inside the body.
Placing the transducer on the tip of an endoscope allows the transducer
to get close to the organs inside the body. Because of the proximity of
the EUS transducer to the organ(s) of interest, the images obtained are
frequently more accurate and more detailed than the ones obtained by
traditional ultrasound. The EUS also can obtain information about the
layers of the intestinal wall as well as adjacent areas such as lymph
nodes and the blood vessels. |
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Benefits
The uses of EUS include studying the flow of blood inside blood vessels
using Doppler ultrasound, and to obtain tissue samples by passing a
special needle, under ultrasound guidance, into enlarged lymph nodes or
suspicious tumors. The tissue or cells obtained by the needle can be
examined by a pathologist under a microscope. The process of obtaining
tissue with a thin needle is called fine needle aspiration (FNA).
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Risks & side effects
Like other endoscopy procedures, EUS is safe and well tolerated. But no
procedure is without risk, which with EUS are quite rare. Complication
rate for EUS without the fine needle aspiration is about one in two
thousand. This is similar to the complication rate of other endoscopy
procedures. Sometimes, patients can develop reactions such as hives,
skin rash or nausea to the medications used during EUS. A lump may
appear in the area of the vein where the IV was placed. This usually
resolves over time. Should it persist, you should contact your
physician. The main complication of serious note is perforation (making
a hole in the intestinal wall) that may require surgical repair. This is
quite rare and all precautions are taken to avoid it. |
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