What Is a Rectal Endoscopic Ultrasound?
A rectal endoscopic ultrasound or rectal EUS is a procedure used to look in detail at your gastrointestinal tract.
It produces higher quality images than standard ultrasound because the sound waves are not travelling through you skin and muscle layer to your organs. Instead, during a rectal endoscopic ultrasound, your physician will insert a specially equipped endoscope into your rectum.
The high-quality images produced by an EUS make it ideal when very detailed images are required for examination, or when a secondary procedure needs to be carried out.
You will be asked not to eat or drink for several hours beforehand, and you may be asked to stop certain medications before the procedure too. You may be given laxatives, an enema or a special diet to follow before your EUS.
An EUS is a day procedure and you will be able to return home afterwards, although if you have been given sedation, you’ll be asked to wait until it’s worn off. You may feel bloated and uncomfortable for a while, but this will soon subside.
Who Needs a Rectal Endoscopic Ultrasound?
A rectal endoscopic ultrasound may be recommended to diagnose or treat gastrointestinal or digestive issues you may have. It’s a useful procedure for:
- Obtaining biopsies (tissue samples than can be examined under a microscope)
- Draining cysts
- Evaluating cancerous growths
- Examining abnormalities