Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy and interventional endoscopic ultrasonography. Emerging technologies.

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has been shown to be useful in the detection and staging of gastrointestinal and pancreatic malignancies. However, EUS has some limitations including suboptimal specificity in lymph node staging. This is one factor that has curtailed its widespread use. The emergence of EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and other interventional applications of EUS appear likely to increase the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of this modality. This article reviews recent literature describing the role of EUS in guiding FNA, detecting choledocholithiasis and assisting in interventions such as pseudocyst drainage.