Memorial Hermann Southeast Esophageal Disease Center
By Michel Kafrouni, M.D.
In studying esophageal diseases, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) comes in handy for providing more details about lesions in the esophagus. The procedure is done by performing an upper endoscopy using a tip equipped with an ultrasound transducer. Due to its location on the inside of the esophagus, the transducer can provide high-quality images of a lesion, and can tell whether or not a lesion has invaded deep into the layers of the esophagus.
Below is a schematic presentation of an endoscopic ultrasound:
The endoscopic ultrasound evaluates not only the esophageal layers but also the vessels and lymph nodes surrounding the esophagus, and it helps in the staging of esophageal cancer. EUS can determine if a lesion can be resected (removed) using minimally invasive endoscopic techniques such as endoscopic mucosal resection