Endoscopic ultrasound procedures enable minimally invasive diagnoses of cancers and diseases in the GI tract and adjacent structures without surgery.
Grand River Health has acquired cutting-edge technology to perform endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) procedures. Dr. Jeff Vandenbroek, Gastroenterologist at Grand River Health, is using this technology to diagnose and treat digestive diseases and disorders including various cancers, such as pancreatic, esophageal, and gastric cancers, as well as common bile duct stones.
EUS combines ultrasound technology with endoscopy to gain an internal vantage point for enhanced visualization. While conventional endoscopy only provides a view of the innermost lining of the digestive tract or its wall, the addition of ultrasound allows the physician to see beyond that wall to visualize all five layers of the GI tract as well as surrounding tissue and organs.
From a clinical perspective, this means that an abnormality below the surface of the digestive tract wall—such as a suspicious growth that was detected at a prior endoscopy or during a CT-scan or physical exam—can be further evaluated under EUS, helping doctors better understand its nature and prescribe the best treatment option.
Because EUS can be used to visualize other organs outside the digestive tract, EUS can play an important role in assisting physicians with diagnosing diseases of the pancreas, bile duct, liver, spleen and gallbladder, as well as assessing a variety of cancers. In addition, EUS is useful in therapeutic applications such as tissue sample collection, cyst drainage or biopsies of lymph nodes, making it a minimally invasive alternative to exploratory surgery.
