BOSTON SCIENTIFIC: 5556

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) combines endoscopic visualization with ultrasound by placing a high frequency ultrasound transducer on the end of an endoscope. The combination of two imaging technologies allows physicians to use traditional endoscopic visualization to guide their way to a site of interest in the gastrointestinal tract and then use ultrasound to provide images of organs and structures beyond the gastrointestinal wall. Fine needle biopsy (FNB) is often done during EUS procedures of non-pancreatic lesions where the tip design of a traditional fine needle aspiration (FNA) needle is not optimal. Examples include, but are not limited to, autoimmune pancreatitis, submucosal lesions, lymphoma and some forms of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).