PROCEDURES
Endoscopic Ultrasound AKA Endo-echo or EUS
An endoscopic ultrasound, also known as an Endo-echo, is a less invasive test that diagnoses gastrointestinal and pancreatic and liver disease. A EUS utilises high-frequency sound waves to create precise pictures of the inside of the chest, digestive tract, liver, pancreas and adjacent lymph nodes. This procedure can be combined with fine-needle aspiration or biopsy to extract stomach, lymph nodes, pancreas or liver tissue for analysis. An endoscopic ultrasound assists in pinpointing the cause and evaluates the area with the disease. Through EUS, the hepato-pancreaticobiliary surgeon can locate, classify, and determine a tumour's size and its origin. An Endo-echo captures pictures of the bowel wall and determines the depth of bowel layers that are diseased due to cancer.
PROCEDURES
Endoscopic Ultrasound AKA Endo-echo or EUS
An endoscopic ultrasound, also known as an Endo-echo, is a less invasive test that diagnoses gastrointestinal and pancreatic and liver disease. A EUS utilises high-frequency sound waves to create precise pictures of the inside of the chest, digestive tract, liver, pancreas and adjacent lymph nodes. This procedure can be combined with fine-needle aspiration or biopsy to extract stomach, lymph nodes, pancreas or liver tissue for analysis. An endoscopic ultrasound assists in pinpointing the cause and evaluates the area with the disease. Through EUS, the hepato-pancreaticobiliary surgeon can locate, classify, and determine a tumour's size and its origin. An Endo-echo captures pictures of the bowel wall and determines the depth of bowel layers that are diseased due to cancer.
PROCEDURE
Dr Pretorius will provide instructions before the procedure. He will ask his patients to fast for six to eight hours before the ultrasound. The stomach must remain empty to receive a precise diagnosis. Patients must also stop taking blood-thinning medication, if applicable. Fine needle aspiration/biopsy increases the risk of heavy bleeding, and blood thinners only make this worse.
Sedation is administered before and during EUS. Dr Pretorius carefully guides a bendable tube, also known as an endoscope, into the mouth to the digestive tract. A transducer in the tube emits sound waves that hit against structures to create pictures of tissue and lymph nodes.
For a combined fine needle aspiration/biopsy, EUS procedure, Dr Pretorius passes another surgical device through the endoscope into the digestive tract. A slim needle penetrates lymph nodes and tumours to remove fluid or tissue for pathology testing.
RECOVERY
Dr Pretorius analyses these images from the endoscopic ultrasound and reports the findings to his patients. A pathologist who specialises in analysing biopsies will document the results from the EUS in their evaluation report. After the endoscopic ultrasound, grogginess is expected, which is why patients must arrange family members or close friends to drive them home.
PROCEDURE
Dr Pretorius will provide instructions before the procedure. He will ask his patients to fast for six to eight hours before the ultrasound. The stomach must remain empty to receive a precise diagnosis. Patients must also stop taking blood-thinning medication, if applicable. Fine needle aspiration/biopsy increases the risk of heavy bleeding, and blood thinners only make this worse.
Sedation is administered before and during EUS. Dr Pretorius carefully guides a bendable tube, also known as an endoscope, into the mouth to the digestive tract. A transducer in the tube emits sound waves that hit against structures to create pictures of tissue and lymph nodes.
For a combined fine needle aspiration/biopsy, EUS procedure, Dr Pretorius passes another surgical device through the endoscope into the digestive tract. A slim needle penetrates lymph nodes and tumours to remove fluid or tissue for pathology testing.
RECOVERY
Dr Pretorius analyses these images from the endoscopic ultrasound and reports the findings to his patients. A pathologist who specialises in analysing biopsies will document the results from the EUS in their evaluation report. After the endoscopic ultrasound, grogginess is expected, which is why patients must arrange family members or close friends to drive them home.