Endoscopic ultrasound-guided diagnosis and therapy in pancreatic disease

The role of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the detection and staging of pancreatic cancer is well established in medical literature. The development of EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and subsequently EUS-guided fine needle injection (FNI) has expanded the clinical utility of EUS. These newer techniques made "interventional" EUS possible. Several recent applications of EUS-guided FNI include celiac nerve block, pseudocyst drainage, and drug delivery into pancreatic tumors. EUS is also gaining acceptance as an alternative diagnostic modality in the management of choledocholithiasis. The value of EUS in the diagnosis of early chronic pancreatitis is still being actively studied. This article reviews a number of recent developments in EUS-guided diagnosis and therapy with an emphasis on EUS-guided FNA and EUS-guided FNI.