Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a valuable exam for diagnosing – and sometimes treating – disorders of the pancreas, liver, gallbladder and bile ducts. EUS enables our physicians to find tumors at a very early stage when they are small and undetectable by other imaging tests. It is an excellent way to determine what is wrong, cancerous or not, and it provides a minimally invasive way to biopsy suspicious disorders.

Dr. Shawn Mallery of the Minnesota Pancreas and Liver Center founded the first EUS program in the Twin Cities, developing techniques for early diagnosis and staging of tumors often missed by standard imaging equipment. He has also developed a technique to drain obstructed bile ducts and jaundice that couldn’t be drained before.

Here at MPLC, our endoscopy facilities are the best in the country, featuring all state-of-the-art equipment. Our endoscopy specialists have trained other physicians throughout the country in complex endoscopy. Performing EUS under anesthesia allows us to be safe and efficient.

The procedure
A thin, flexible, lighted tube (endoscope) is put through the mouth and throat into the stomach. It bounces high-energy sound waves off the organs to create a picture of the organs. It looks at your organs from the inside out. You will receive anesthesia for this test, and the back of your throat will be numbed.

The exam usually takes 60-90 minutes. After the procedure, you will be here about two hours while you wake up from the anesthesia. You should be able to eat and drink a few hours after the exam. You can return to work and your usual activities the next day.

Preparing for the exam
You cannot drive yourself home after the EUS, so arrange for someone to come with you or pick you up afterward. Also:

• Call the nurse if you are taking blood-thinning medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, (Motrin, Advil), Aleve, Coumadin or Persnatin.
• If you are diabetic, ask your doctor how much medicine, if any, you should take on the day of the exam. You may need to stop taking your medicine.
• Your stomach must be empty during the study. Do not eat or drink after 11:30 p.m. the night before and until the study is done.
• If you are on heart or blood pressure medicines, take them with ½ glass of water.

Once your EUS is scheduled, you will be provided with additional information. This includes more on planning for the procedure, what happens during the EUS and  follow-up information.