Abstract

RODRIGUES, Catarina Graça et al. Digestive endoscopic ultrasound in clinical practice part IIa: utility in the evaluation of pancreas. J Port Gastrenterol. [online]. 2014, vol.21, n.2, pp.60-74. ISSN 0872-8178.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpg.2013.11.002.

Since it was developed in the 80s, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has taken on na important role in the diagnosis of benign and malignant pancreatic disease, confirming the historical reasons for its implementation. Due to the proximity of the transducer and reduced acoustic interference, EUS provides high-resolution ultrasound images of the pancreas with subtle anatomical detail and adds complementary information to both computed tomography or magnetic resonance in the investigation of patients with suspected pancreatic disease. EUS has the unique ability to obtain specimens of the pancreas and peripancreatic structures for cytohistological diagnosis. In recent years, newly developed ultrasound modalities associated to EUS, like elastography and contrast enhancement, have shown promising results and might increase the diagnostic value of this technique. This first chapter of the second part of a series of review articles on EUS aims to address the main indications of this endoscopic technique in the diagnosis of pancreatic disease, as well as the typical ultrasound findings in this setting.

Keywords : Endosonography; Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration; Pancreatic neoplasms; Pancreatic cysts; Pancreatitis.

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