This is a procedure in which a catheter (see CATHETERS) is passed via an ENDOSCOPE into the AMPULLA OF VATER of the common BILE DUCT. The duct is then injected with a radio-opaque material to show up the ducts radiologically. The technique is used to diagnose pancreatic disease as well as obstructive jaundice.
the fusion of endoscopy with ultrasonography. An ultrasound probe is incorporated into the endoscope in order to deliver highly detailed images from within the body. Endoscopic ultrasound is used predominantly by gastroenterologists, to assess internal structures or organs within the upper gastrointestinal tract, or by respiratory physicians in the assessment of bronchial disease. It may be used for diagnostic purposes, to accurately stage a confirmed diagnosis of cancer or to obtain tissue samples using fine-needle aspiration. Therapeutic indications include drainage of a pancreatic *pseudocyst, the common bile duct, or the pancreatic duct, and coeliac plexus neurolysis, a technique used to deliver pain relief in cases of intractable abdominal pain, usually resulting from chronic pancreatitis.... endoscopic ultrasound
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