Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) uses endoscopy and ultrasound to produce detailed images of your child’s digestive tract and the surrounding tissue and organs. EUS can provide an alternative route for minimally invasive biopsies of mediastinal lesions, lymph nodes, and abdominal lesions or organs such as the liver. Additionally, symptomatic or infected fluid collections can be accessed to provide therapeutic internal drainage, which can obviate the need for external drains. Talk to your child’s doctor about whether this test is needed to help diagnose your child’s condition.

After your child is sedated, a small flexible tube (endoscope) with a light, camera and ultrasound device is inserted into your child’s mouth and advanced into the duodenum (part of the small intestine), or into the rectum. Gastroenterologists can get high-quality ultrasound images of the intestinal wall and the adjacent organs because the endoscopic ultrasound can get closer to the organs being examined than traditional ultrasound that is performed outside the body.

Small tissue or fluid samples can be collected during this procedure. A laboratory will use these samples to help diagnose your child's condition.