Since 1996, the EUS Unit at SGHUMC has performed over 500 diagnostic procedures. This record number was accomplished by the skillful hands of SGHUMC gastro-enterologits over a period of 6 six years.

SAINT GEORGE HOSPITAL will be (again) the first hospital in Lebanon to introduce EndoEcho, Olympus’s new leading edge endoscopic ultrasonography system with high quality ultrasound images and crystal clear video images as well as advanced scope design for superior maneuverability.

EUS is changing the face of diagnosis for diseases of the GI tract,( The biliairy tree and the pancreas). EUS provides more detailed images than can be obtained with traditional transabdominal ultrasound or ( GI endoscopy ).

What is EUS?

Endoscopic Ultrasonography, or EUS, joins the medical technique of endoscopy with the high frequency sound-wave technology you may know as ultrasound. This state-of-the-art combination allows the doctor to "microscopically" examine tissue not only within the digestive tract, but also surrounding( it in a depth that could go up to 5 cm.)
Like endoscopy, EUS uses a flexible tube called an endoscope, which works like a periscope. The doctor inserts this tube into the digestive tract through the mouth or the rectum to examine internal organs and photographs and videotapes the findings. EUS is as comfortable as regular endoscopy, although it takes longer because it is more precise, and because there are more details for the doctor to examine and interpret.

How is EUS different than regular endoscopy?

Finding an abnormality with regular endoscopy is like seeing the tip of an iceberg. Endoscopy shows only the inner surface of the digestive tract and cannot show the abnormality beyond the visible surface. But in the same way a ship's sonar can depict the whole iceberg under water, the high-frequency of EUS reveals the full extent and nature of abnormalities, including information that is critical to accurate diagnosis and optimum care In skilled hands, EUS can even locate abnormalities not detectable by any other means.

When to use the EUS ?

Endoscopic Ultrasonography (EUS) is a relatively new endoscopic technology. EUS is recognized for its superior ability for :

• Staging gastrointestinal and bilio-pancreatic malignant and benign tumors.
• Biliary stones related diseases
• Pancreatic pathology
• Recto-Anal benign pathology

The development of linear array endosonography has allowed EUS to evolve into a more invasive diagnostic and therapeutic modality.

EUS and Fine Needle Aspiration

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) guided with EUS is a powerful tool to sample masses or lymph nodes in the posterior mediastinum, gut wall and retroperitoneum. EUS guided FNA can replace surgical biopsy or laparoscopy for inaccessible masses.

The linear scanning technology permits one to track a needle as it is slowly advanced into the ultrasound plane. This advancement in EUS technology led to the development of EUS-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy. The principle of EUS-guided FNA is based on the following: by placing a biopsy needle into a target lesion under real-time ultrasound guidance one can sample suspicious luminal and extra-luminal lesions of the gastrointestinal tract.
Many of these lesions are often too small to be fully detected and evaluated by other imaging modalities, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
By applying the same technique, drainage of a cyst and the injection of alcohol to treat a resistant abdominal pain are possible.