Open AccessEndoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration: Technique and applications in clinical practice
Author(s) -
Benjamin Tharian
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
world journal of gastrointestinal endoscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1948-5190
DOI - 10.4253/wjge.v4.i12.532
Subject(s) - endoscopic ultrasound , medicine , fine needle aspiration , radiology , malignancy , clinical practice , modality (human–computer interaction) , ultrasound , biopsy , pathology , family medicine , human–computer interaction , computer science
Since its initial report in 1992, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has now been incorporated into the diagnostic and staging algorithm for the evaluation of benign and malignant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and of adjacent organs. Its introduction constitutes a major breakthrough in the endoscopic field and has gradually transformed EUS from a pure imaging modality into a more interventional procedure. In addition, the possibility of collecting samples, providing a definitive cytological and/or histological evidence of the presence of malignancy, has strongly contributed to changing EUS from a subjective, highly operator dependant procedure into a more objective one. This article will review the instrumentation, technique and the most important clinical applications of EUS-FNA.