Endoscopic Ultrasound and Fine Needle Aspiration

The combination of endoscopy and ultrasound, which uses sound waves to generate an image on a monitor, has become an extremely valuable GI diagnostic tool. A tiny ultrasound transducer is mounted on the tip of the endoscope, allowing the physician to obtain high-quality ultrasound images from inside the body. Not only does the test generate unique images of the different layers of the walls of the digestive tract, it can obtain pictures of the blood vessels, lymph nodes, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and bile duct in ways that no other noninvasive examination can match.

Georgetown GI offers extensive expertise in endoscopic ultrasound, which can be used to:

• detect small pancreatic tumors
• staging esophageal, gastric, pancreatic and rectal cancers
• detect common bile duct stones.

In addition, under ultrasound guidance, a fine needle can be passed down the endoscope into an enlarged lymph node or suspicious mass. The needle removes tissue from these sites, which a pathologist can evaluate for diagnosis.

• Contact: John Carroll, MD
• Phone: (202) 444-6649