Endoscopic Ultrasound

With advanced medical procedures, doctors are able to look inside a human body without surgical interventions. This means they can diagnose problems and treat diseases in minimum time, with reduced risk. One such procedure is endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) that combines endoscopy with ultrasound imaging, and allows your doctor to examine organs in or around your digestive tract.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a low-risk diagnostic procedure where a specially adapted ultrasound probe is placed on the end of an endoscope to obtain high-quality images of the digestive tract and its surrounding organs with minimal invasion. EUS is a combination of two procedures:

• Endoscopy, involves a thin tube to be inserted into the body
• Ultrasound, which uses high-frequency sound waves to make images of internal organs.

Like traditional endoscopies, EUS is a lighted, flexible tube with a tiny camera attached to it. During the procedure, the endoscope is attached to an ultrasound device. These cameras are passed through the mouth into the stomach, lungs, liver, bladder and other organs to provide doctors a close-up view of the gastrointestinal tract for examination and diagnosis. The procedure lasts for about 30 minutes and you will receive a report at the end informing you of all the results.

Why Endoscopic Ultrasound Is Done?

Your doctor may perform EUS for several reasons with various purposes, mainly for the diagnosis of digestive disorders. EUS is now frequently done to:

• Find the causes for symptoms such as abdominal or chest pain
• Determine the extent (stage) of cancer in the colon, esophagus, lung, pancreas, stomach, and others
• Evaluate chronic pancreatitis or other disorders of the pancreas
• Diagnose abnormalities or tumors in gallbladder and liver
• Examine nodules (bumps) in the intestinal wall
• Examine bile duct stones, sarcoidosis, lymphobia
• Evaluate findings from imaging tests such as a CT scan or MRI
• Perform biopsies to test for cancer.

During EUS for biopsy, your doctor will thread a thin needle through the endoscope to take out tissue or fluid sample and send that to a lab for analysis. Biopsy helps determine the presence of cancer or evaluate how far it has extended to affect other organs.

Advantages of an Endoscopic Ultrasound:

The advantages of EUS over traditional abdominal ultrasound scan, MRI or CT scan, and other diagnostic tests are well recognised. Some of the benefits offered are:

• It allows doctors examine organs and related structures that can’t be seen through standard ultrasound.
• Since the ultrasound device lets the doctor to get in very close proximity to the organs, it produces more detailed and accurate imaging.
• Unlike with CT scans where patients are exposed to some amount of radiations, there is no exposure to radiation in EUS.
• It allows the endoscopist to safely and easily obtain tissue or fluid sample for biopsy at the time of the examination.
• Additionally, with EUS, the waiting time for collection of reports is greatly reduced.

It’s normal to experience nervousness before undergoing a medical procedure. However, tests like Endoscopic ultrasound are important towards getting patients accurate diagnosis for the right treatment they need. No matter what your test results are, you will be confident of the care and support you receive at American Hospital Dubai.

For endoscopic ultrasound in Dubai, do not hesitate to book an appointment with the specialist using our secure online form.