Endoskopiskt ultraljud bra vid oklara tumörförändringar. Fallbeskrivningar visar på teknikens diagnostiska och terapeutiska bredd
Sammanfattning
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a valuable technique for diagnosing tumours of unknown nature in, or adjacent to, the gastrointestinal tract. The image resolution obtained by EUS is superior to that of MR and CT. EUS has the advantage of allowing tissue sampling with low complication rate. Interventional procedures such as drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts is another example of the clinical utility of EUS. Cost-effectiveness has been shown when using EUS for example in the staging of non-small cell lung cancer and the investigation of endocrine pancreatic tumours. This article demonstrates the wide range of application of EUS through three clinical cases. According to a recently published European survey study the availability of EUS in Sweden is low. One of the reasons for this is the lack of trained endosonographists. We recommend that the EUS technique should be implemented to a larger extent in clinical practice at Swedish university hospitals. To achieve this goal more physicians need to be trained in endosonography.