Summary:
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) combines endoscopic view and
ultrasound images to obtain information about the
gastrointestinal tract and the surrounding tissues and organs
in abdomen and mediastinum. Placing the transducer on
the tip of an endoscope allows it to get close to the organs
inside the body. The EUS can also obtain information about
the layers of the intestinal wall as well as adjacent areas such
as lymph nodes and the blood vessels. It can study the flow of
blood inside blood vessels using Doppler ultrasound and
obtain tissue samples by passing a FNA needle into enlarged
lymph nodes or suspicious tumors. Staging of cancer is
becoming an important use of EUS. It can provide
information regarding the depth of penetration and spread
of cancer to adjacent tissues and lymph nodes, useful for
staging. Interventional EUS offers durable analgesia for
palliation and minimally invasive drainage procedures which
does not result in cutaneous fistulae. In future, Interventional
EUS will open up a new frontier hence further improving
the contributory role of GI endoscopy.
Our aim was to evaluate the role of endoscopic ultrasound
(EUS) in literatures of the past 3 decades as diagnostic and
therapeutic aid based on original articles (randomized
controlled trials, prospective and retrospective studies),
meta-analyses, reviews and surveys pertinent to
gastrointestinal EUS. MEDLINE and PubMed search
(1984-2013) were conducted using ‘Endoscopic Ultrasound’
for re-trieving pertinent studies and arranged according to
equipment introduction, uses, procedures, advantage,
disadvantage, complications,, therapeutic applications and
limitations of EUS. Figures included are taken during
performance of the EUS procedures at the institute.