Endoscopic Ultrasound
Endoscopic ultrasound refers to an ultrasound method that allows the examination of the digestive system. As it is known widely, ultrasonography provides images from organs such as gall bladder, pancreas, and liver by means of high frequency sound waves. Endoscopic ultrasound is a technological device that examines the lower layers and tissues of the digestive system.
Endoscopic ultrasonography is preferred for various reasons such as oesophageal cancer, rectum cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, biliary tract cancer, early treatment of cancer, biopsy, and investigation of recurrence findings after surgery. Ultrasound holds great importance for the examination of cancer involvement in lymph nodes and vessels.
What are the Advantages of Endoscopic Ultrasound?
There are several advantages that endoscopic ultrasound provides. These advantages are provided as follows:
- The most important feature and advantage of endoscopic ultrasound is that while it gives information about the deep spread of cancer in cases such as oesophagus, stomach, rectum, pancreas and rectal cancer, it also shows whether the surrounding organs, vessels and lymph nodes are affected. Moreover, it also allows biopsy from these areas.
- This procedure, which is expressed as endoscopic ultrasound or endosonographic, has much superior features than normal ultrasound in terms of taking biopsy samples and showing the blood flow in the vessels.
- By entering the interior of the organs, images are obtained much more closely and clearly.
- It enables tissue samples to be taken from tumours originating from the digestive system or organs adjacent to the digestive system.
The Procedure of Endoscopic Ultrasound
Endoscopic ultrasound is not different from the classical endoscopy method. With this ultrasound, both the upper and lower digestive systems can be looked at. The issues to be considered before the preparation and after the procedure are not different from the endoscopy. However, this procedure takes much longer than conventional endoscopy. This process, which might take up to 30 minutes, is started with painkillers and anaesthesia applied to the patient. After a comfortably performed endoscopic ultrasound, patients can return to their homes after being monitored for a few hours and recovered. It is possible for individuals to return to their normal lives the next day. It should not be forgotten that patients need to inform their doctors about all the drugs before the operation.