ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a minimally invasive procedure. A special endoscope uses high-frequency sound waves to produce detailed images of the lining and walls of your digestive tract and chest, nearby organs such as the pancreas and liver, and lymph nodes.

When combined with a procedure called fine-needle aspiration, EUS allows your doctor to sample (biopsy) fluid and tissue from your abdomen or chest for analysis. EUS with fine-needle aspiration can be a minimally invasive alternative to exploratory surgery.

You may not be a candidate for EUS if you have had abdominal surgery that changed your anatomy, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Risks

EUS is generally safe when performed at a center with an experienced and expert health care team. Your doctor will discuss with you the risk of complications from EUS. These risks are most commonly associated with fine-needle aspiration.

Risks may include:

Bleeding

Infection

Tearing (perforation) of the intestinal wall or throat

Pancreatitis, if fine-needle aspiration of the pancreas is done

How you prepare

Your doctor will give you specific instructions to prepare for your EUS. Generally, you'll be asked to fast for at least 6 hours before the test.

Stop taking certain medications, such as blood thinners. Blood thinners may increase your risk of bleeding if fine-needle aspiration is performed during EUS.

Arrange for someone to drive you home after the procedure.

What you can expect

You likely will be given medicine for sedation.

During EUS your doctor passes a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) through your mouth and through your digestive tract. A small ultrasound device (transducer) in the tube produces sound waves that create a precise image of surrounding tissue, including lymph nodes in the chest. The endoscope is then gradually withdrawn.

If you have fine-needle aspiration with EUS, your doctor may need to pass a second, curved device through a channel in the endoscope into your digestive tract. That device can guide a very slender needle to your lymph nodes and tumors or other abnormalities. The needle extracts fluid and tissue for analysis.

EUS with fine-needle aspiration generally lasts less than an hour.

ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a minimally invasive procedure. A special endoscope uses high-frequency sound waves to produce detailed images of the lining and walls of your digestive tract and chest, nearby organs such as the pancreas and liver, and lymph nodes.

When combined with a procedure called fine-needle aspiration, EUS allows your doctor to sample (biopsy) fluid and tissue from your abdomen or chest for analysis. EUS with fine-needle aspiration can be a minimally invasive alternative to exploratory surgery.

You may not be a candidate for EUS if you have had abdominal surgery that changed your anatomy, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Risks

EUS is generally safe when performed at a center with an experienced and expert health care team. Your doctor will discuss with you the risk of complications from EUS. These risks are most commonly associated with fine-needle aspiration.

Risks may include:

Bleeding

Infection

Tearing (perforation) of the intestinal wall or throat

Pancreatitis, if fine-needle aspiration of the pancreas is done

How you prepare

Your doctor will give you specific instructions to prepare for your EUS. Generally, you'll be asked to fast for at least 6 hours before the test.

Stop taking certain medications, such as blood thinners. Blood thinners may increase your risk of bleeding if fine-needle aspiration is performed during EUS.

Arrange for someone to drive you home after the procedure.

What you can expect

You likely will be given medicine for sedation.

During EUS your doctor passes a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) through your mouth and through your digestive tract. A small ultrasound device (transducer) in the tube produces sound waves that create a precise image of surrounding tissue, including lymph nodes in the chest. The endoscope is then gradually withdrawn.

If you have fine-needle aspiration with EUS, your doctor may need to pass a second, curved device through a channel in the endoscope into your digestive tract. That device can guide a very slender needle to your lymph nodes and tumors or other abnormalities. The needle extracts fluid and tissue for analysis.

EUS with fine-needle aspiration generally lasts less than an hour.

ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a minimally invasive procedure. A special endoscope uses high-frequency sound waves to produce detailed images of the lining and walls of your digestive tract and chest, nearby organs such as the pancreas and liver, and lymph nodes.

When combined with a procedure called fine-needle aspiration, EUS allows your doctor to sample (biopsy) fluid and tissue from your abdomen or chest for analysis. EUS with fine-needle aspiration can be a minimally invasive alternative to exploratory surgery.

You may not be a candidate for EUS if you have had abdominal surgery that changed your anatomy, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Risks

EUS is generally safe when performed at a center with an experienced and expert health care team. Your doctor will discuss with you the risk of complications from EUS. These risks are most commonly associated with fine-needle aspiration.

Risks may include:

Bleeding

Infection

Tearing (perforation) of the intestinal wall or throat

Pancreatitis, if fine-needle aspiration of the pancreas is done

How you prepare

Your doctor will give you specific instructions to prepare for your EUS. Generally, you'll be asked to fast for at least 6 hours before the test.

Stop taking certain medications, such as blood thinners. Blood thinners may increase your risk of bleeding if fine-needle aspiration is performed during EUS.

Arrange for someone to drive you home after the procedure.

What you can expect

You likely will be given medicine for sedation.

During EUS your doctor passes a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) through your mouth and through your digestive tract. A small ultrasound device (transducer) in the tube produces sound waves that create a precise image of surrounding tissue, including lymph nodes in the chest. The endoscope is then gradually withdrawn.

If you have fine-needle aspiration with EUS, your doctor may need to pass a second, curved device through a channel in the endoscope into your digestive tract. That device can guide a very slender needle to your lymph nodes and tumors or other abnormalities. The needle extracts fluid and tissue for analysis.

EUS with fine-needle aspiration generally lasts less than an hour.