Indications and Prevalence of Disorders in a Referral Clinic for Endoscopic Ultrasonography

Abstract

Background:

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has a pivotal role in staging and diagnosis of different gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Although this equipment is not readily available and not all gastroenterologists are trained in this technique, the importance and efficacy of this imaging modality is obvious for all gastroenterologists. We report the indications and prevalence of lesions visualized by EUS, in a EUS center.

Materials and Methods:

We evaluated the demographic characteristics, indications, and recorded EUS diagnosis of patients during a 5 year (2007-2011) period.

Results:

During the study period, 3198 patients (51.2% males) underwent EUS. Upper GI endosonography, within which, pancreatobiliary disorders followed by gastric cancer were the most common indications for patient referral. The rate of patient referral for EUS increased yearly.

Conclusion:

EUS is an accurate method for the diagnosis of different GI abnormalities. The most common cause for patient referrals are benign pancreatobiliary disorders.