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It’s been said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Turns out it’s true for endoscopists, too: An endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) image often means a precise diagnosis.
Learn how the EUS procedure at the AdventHealth Center for Interventional Endoscopy (CIE) gives your doctor more information than other medical imaging tests. And how we use EUS results to diagnose the cause of certain conditions, find anything abnormal in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and determine the best treatments for you or your loved ones.
EUS is the medical abbreviation for endoscopic ultrasonography. And it’s a type of medical imaging of the digestive tract and internal organs.
The EUS procedure allows your doctor to examine your stomach lining as well as the walls of your upper and lower GI tract. EUS also helps us study internal organs that are close to the stomach and duodenum, such as the gallbladder, pancreas, liver and bile ducts.
For the EUS procedure, your doctor (endoscopist) uses an endoscope — a thin, flexible tube with a camera and ultrasound probe. The endoscope delivers ultrasound waves to the area of interest, inside the body.
Turning on the ultrasound attachment makes sound waves that create highly detailed, visual images of the surrounding area. We can see the upper GI tract (esophagus, stomach and duodenum) or the lower GI tract (colon and rectum).
With detailed images of the GI tract, your doctor can:
You may have EUS of the upper GI tract or lower GI tract. Your care team will discuss all instructions with you before your procedure. It’s important to follow these instructions carefully. Otherwise, you may have to reschedule for a different day.
Let your doctor know about any medications you take, so they can adjust them as needed. Also tell them about any allergies, including to medications or latex.
For EUS of the upper GI tract, you shouldn’t have anything to eat or drink for about eight hours before the procedure. Your doctor will tell you the exact time to begin fasting.
For EUS of the lower GI tract, you’ll need to consume a large volume of special cleansing solution and follow a clear liquid diet with laxatives or enemas.
During the EUS procedure, your doctor passes an endoscope through your body to the area of interest. There, they capture detailed images.
Upper EUS
For an EUS exam of the upper GI tract, your endoscopist may spray your throat with a local anesthetic and you will also receive intravenous (IV) sedatives to put you to sleep.
You most likely will start out lying on your left side. After the sedation, your endoscopist will pass the scope through your mouth, esophagus and stomach, into the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). The endoscope does not interfere with breathing.
The actual exam takes about 15–30 minutes. Patients feel no pain and wake up immediately after the procedure. After a short stay in recovery, patients are discharged home.
Lower EUS
Similar to Upper EUS, an EUS exam of the lower GI tract will also involve minimal sedation. Just like the upper EUS, you start by lying on your left side with your back toward the doctor. Most EUS exams of the rectum take 10–30 minutes.
Because patients receive sedation, after your procedure, you’ll stay in the recovery area for monitoring until the medication wears off. If you had an upper EUS, your throat may be a little sore. Both types of EUS can cause mild bloating.
You can eat after you leave the procedure area, if your doctor says it’s okay. However, you won’t be able to drive home, even if you don’t feel tired. Plan to have someone drive you and stay with you after the exam, since sedatives can affect your judgment or reflexes.
Complications from these procedures are very rare. But your doctor will always weigh the risks with the benefits before you get an EUS procedure.
You should receive EUS exam results on the same day. If biopsies were obtained during the procedure, those results can take a few days to come back.
Along with EUS, the AdventHealth Center for Interventional Endoscopy (CIE) offers other therapeutic endoscopy services combined with minimally invasive surgery. We diagnose and treat complex GI diseases — from pancreaticobiliary diseases, cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions, to motility and swallowing disorders.
To schedule an appointment with an experienced interventional endoscopist, call the Center for Interventional Endoscopy at Call813-615-7028.
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