EUS is an abbreviation for endoscopic ultrasonography, a minimally invasive procedure that allows your doctor to examine the walls of your upper or lower GI (gastrointestinal) tract. It involves inserting a thin tube into the stomach through the mouth. A small ultrasound probe is attached to the tube’s tip. Sound waves are emitted from the probe which bounce off of the surrounding tissue and are captured by the probe and translated into images which are analyzed by your physician.
Why would you need an EUS?
An EUS can be used to evaluate any abnormalities in your gastrointestinal tract including to find the source of any abdominal symptoms that you may be having and to further evaluate any results that may have been found from a CT scan or MRI scan. An EUS can also be used to evaluate potential illnesses and disorders like Barrett’s esophagus, lymphoma, cancers of the esophagus, stomach, lung, pancreas, rectum and colon, pancreatic, fecal incontinence, bile duct stones and other potential gastrointestinal disorders.
Is an EUS safe?
An EUS is well tolerated by the majority of patients and it can be performed on an outpatient basis in the majority of cases. The procedure normally takes under 60 minutes. Your throat is sprayed with an anesthetic and you are sedated before the procedure begins. The instrument does not cause any kind of breathing obstruction.
If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call Dr. Frank Singh at (734) 692-6566.