Columbia Asia Hospital launches EUS Unit at its Bangalore hospitals

“The advanced endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound will help deal with Gastro intestinal conditions especially arising in an around the wall of the food pipe, stomach and pancreas intestine in a very different manner," Umesh Jalihal, Senior Consultant – Gastroenterology, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Yeshwanthpur, said.

"This equipment is unique in combining endoscopic image with sonographic shadows in analyzing the lesions beyond the boundaries of endoscope. Besides seeing the lesion better, we can have direct access to it and procure tissue sample for laboratory analysis," he added.

"Further we can drain fluids from outside a GI lumen and perform interventions like stent placements, guide wire passage and place medicines to burn liver and pancreas tumors,” Jalihal said.

Vidyasagar Ramappa, Consultant Gastroenterology, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Yeshwanthpur, said, “This will further help in avoiding many operations if it is found to be inoperable by proper imaging such as advanced pancreas cancer invading the blood vessels and many others which we have done in the past.”

Govind Nandakumar, Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Columbia Asia Hospitals, said, “EUS and endoluminal technology will also give us a new platform to remove tumors from the rectum after adequate staging, without external incisions."

Rema Rao, faculty at Weil Cornell Medical College, New York will also be giving a guest session on the intricacies involved in reading pathology slides related to EUS.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a minimally invasive procedure to assess digestive (gastrointestinal) and lung diseases.

With help of high-frequency sound waves, it produces detailed images of the lining and walls of the digestive tract and chest, nearby organs such as the pancreas and liver, and lymph nodes.