BACKGROUND: Endosonography (ES) is an important tool for staging malignant esophageal cancer with the TNM staging classification. ES is a safe procedure and an accurate method of staging tumor invasion (T) and lymph node involvement (N). METHODS: The author reviewed the literature on the comparative roles of computed tomography and ES as complementary staging procedures. RESULTS: Advantages of ...

Advanced medical imaging and visualization has a strong impact on research and clinical decision making in gastroenterology. The aim of this paper is to show how imaging and visualization can disclose structural and functional abnormalities of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Imaging methods such as ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), endoscopy, endosonography, and elastography w...

The design of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) instruments has been improved to provide a wide therapeutic channel and an elevator to facilitate the movement of needles and medical devices. These im− provements make it possible to carry out combined ultrasound and endoscopic ap− proaches in the pancreas and duodenal papilla, with ultrasound examination of surrounding fluid collections [1± 5]. Cys− t...

Although little is known on the true prevalence of pancreatic cysts, physicians are currently more frequently confronted with pancreatic cysts because of the increasing use of sophisticated cross-sectional abdominal imaging. Cystic lesions of the pancreas comprise of a heterogeneous group of diagnostic entities, some of which are benign such as inflammatory pseudocysts or serous cystadenomas an...

For many patients, anal incontinence (AI) is a devastating condition that can lead to social isolation and loss of independence, contributing to a substantial economic health burden, not only for the individual but also for the allocation of healthcare resources. Its prevalence is underestimated because of poor patient reporting, with many unrecorded but symptomatic cases residing in nursing ho...

BACKGROUND The majority of patients with pancreatic cancer are not candidates for surgical resection. Palliative therapy remains the cornerstone of management of this population. METHODS We reviewed recent clinical and experimental studies on endoscopic palliative therapy of inoperable pancreatic cancer. RESULTS Endoscopic placement of a biliary stent is the preferred mode of palliation of ...

Two female patients aged 62 and 44 years with progressive systemic sclerosis and passive faecal incontinence are described. Both had the typical gut motility disorders of dysphagia, heartburn, and constipation. Anorectal physiology tests showed a low resting pressure in both and an absent rectoanal inhibitory reflex in one. In both patients anal endosonography showed a thin internal anal sphinc...

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has become the mainstay of therapy for pancreatobiliary diseases. While ERCP is safe and highly effective in the general population, the procedure remains challenging or impossible in patients with surgically altered anatomy (SAA). Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) allows transmural access to the bile or pancreatic duct (PD) prior to ductal draina...

CONTEXT Duodenal dystrophy is a rare disease, characterized by the chronic inflammation of the aberrant pancreatic tissue in the duodenal wall. CASE REPORTS Two middle-aged men were admitted with upper abdominal pain of several months duration, periodic nausea and vomiting after meals, intermittent jaundice and weight loss. A diagnosis of cystic dystrophy of the vertical part of the duodenum ...