Expanding the horizons of endoscopic ultrasound: diagnosis of non-digestive pathologies

EUS of the neck: A comprehensive anatomical reference for the staging of head and neck cancer (with videos)

The use of EUS has application in the nodal staging of head and neck cancer. The technique and the anatomy of head and neck region using EUS have not been described. EUS from three stations in thoracic esophagus, cervical esophagus, and hypopharynx can allow imaging of head and neck. In this article we describe the normal structures from the three stations. The EUS imaging of head and neck can give relevant and additional information in malignancies of head and neck.

Dysphagia aortica: Emerging role of endoscopic ultrasound (with videos)

Dysphagia can occur due to extrinsic compression on esophagus. Dysphagia due to intrathoracic vascular causes is rare. Most reported cases of vascular etiology are due to dysphagia lusoria. Dysphagia due to any anomaly of aorta is called dysphagia aortica. In an emergency setting, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been found to be superior and more sensitive for detection of abdominal aortic aneurysms over conventional radiological methods. We present a series of four cases of dysphagia aortica where the diagnosis was made by endoscopic ultrasound.

Imaging of spaces of neck and mediastinum by endoscopic ultrasound

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) of the mediastinum was pioneered by gastroenterologists, and it was taken up by pulmonologists when the smaller-diameter endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) scope was designed after a few years. The pulmonologists’ approach remained largely confined to entry from the trachea, but they soon realized that the esophagus was an alternative route of entry by the EBUS scope. The new generations of interventionists are facing the challenge of learning two techniques (EUS and EBUS) from two routes (esophagus and trachea). The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) proposed a classification of mediastinal lymph nodes at different stations that lie within the boundaries of specific spaces. These interventionists need clear definitions of landmarks and clear techniques to identify the spaces. There are enough descriptions of spaces of the neck and the mediastinum in the literature, yet the topic mentioned above has never been discussed separately. The anatomical structures, landmarks, and boundaries of spaces will be important to interventionists in the near future during performances of endosonography. This article combines the baseline anatomy of the spaces with the actual imaging during EUS.