title: Endoscopic ultrasound: indications and applications.
abstract: Since its development in the 1980s, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has dramatically expanded the breadth of gastrointestinal endoscopy and the approach to gastrointestinal and non-small-cell lung cancer staging. Combining an ultrasound transducer with a standard video endoscope, EUS produces detailed images of the gastrointestinal wall and structures surrounding the gastrointestinal tract. It is a safe and accurate method of diagnosing and staging a variety of benign and malignant lesions. Additionally, EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration can be performed on areas surrounding the gastrointestinal tract, including adjacent organs (pancreas, liver, etc.) and the mediastinum. The development of large channel scopes and new needles has led to numerous therapeutic applications for EUS, such as EUS-guided pseudocyst drainage. While the potential applications are many, availability of the technology continues to be a problem worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA. sananda@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Sharmila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anandasabapathy
mesh_terms: D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019160:Endosonography; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans