| [ Summary ] |
Recently, EUS has reached a level of diagnostic capability level comparable to that of radiography or endoscopy. In biliary tract disease, EUS achieves a higher level of resolution than abdominal ultrasonography because of its proximity to the lesion being examined. The areas in the biliary tree, accessible to EUS, include the extrahepatic ducts, the gallbladder, the bile duct and the ampulla. EUS has been shown to be highly accurate in staging gallbladder, bile duct and ampullary tumors. It can detect stones in the bile duct and differentiate stones from sludge in the gallbladder. EUS can also discriminate elevated lesions in the gallbladder. With linear or convex transducers, features such as color doppler imaging can be used to evaluate the vascular anatomy. |