Fundamental Techniques of EUS in Pancreatico-biliary Disease

Abstract

Endoscopic ultrasonography is with a special role in the field of clinical image diagnosis. It combines endoscopy and a high-resolution ultrasound observation. However, it is considered to be a relatively difficult procedure due to its time-consuming and long learning curve.

Clinically for the imaging of pancreatobiliary lesions, the conventional ultrasound, CT, and MRI are usually the first-line tools. However, a lot of limitations exist for the above conventional modalities to obtain clear identification especially for small pancreatic lesions. Due to the anatomical position of the pancreas that locates closely beside the gastric and duodenal wall, EUS can usually provide more detailed information on the observation.

In this chapter, the fundamental techniques of EUS in pancreatico-biliary disease will be addressed on the application of both radial and linear echoendoscope from the stomach and duodenum.