BASIC TECHNIQUES OF USING A CURVED LINEAR ARRAY ECHOENDOSCOPE FOR EXAMINATION OF THE PANCREATOBILIARY SYSTEM

Abstract

Observation of the pancreatobiliary system using a curved linear array echoendoscope is based on observation from three areas: the stomach, first portion of the duodenum and second portion of the duodenum. First, the blood vessels in each area (i.e., the abdominal aorta or portal vein in the stomach, the portal vein in the first portion of the duodenum, and the abdominal aorta in the second portion of the duodenum) which are the starting points of observation, are depicted in each region. Next, while observing the surrounding organs and blood vessels such as the spleen, kidney, splenic vein, superior mesenteric vein, portal vein, and portal confluence which serve as landmarks, the pancreatobiliary system is scanned according to the basic observation protocol. Understanding and acquiring the standard visualization method using the curved linear array echoendoscope are extremely important for fully exploiting the high performance of endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle aspiration.