Endoscopic Ultrasound and Intraductal Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Biliary Tract Diseases: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and intraductal ultrasound (IDUS) play very important roles in the field of biliary tract disease. Because of their excellent spatial resolution, the detection of small lesions and T- or N-staging of tumors have become possible. Additionally, contrast-enhanced EUS and the new imaging technique of detective flow imaging are reported to be useful for differential diagnosis. Furthermore, EUS-guided tissue acquisition is used not only for pathological diagnosis but also to collect tissue samples for cancer genome profiling. This review provides an overview of diagnosis utilizing the features and techniques of EUS and IDUS.

Keywords

• biliary tract diseases
• endoscopic ultrasound
• intraductal ultrasound