Stent migration during EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy in a patient with massive ascites: troubleshooting using additional EUS-guided antegrade stenting

EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy [EUS-HGS] is useful for treating obstructive jaundice. However, stent migration may sometimes occur both during and after the procedure. This report describes a patient with pancreatic cancer and massive ascites who underwent EUS-HGS combined with EUS-guided antegrade stenting [EUS-AS], with additional EUS-AS playing a role in troubleshooting for stent migration during EUS-HGS

New endoscopic ultrasonography techniques for pancreaticobiliary diseases

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is widely used to evaluate pancreaticobiliary diseases, especially pancreatic masses. EUS has a good ability to detect pancreatic masses, but it is not sufficient for the differential diagnosis of various types of lesions. In order to address the limitations of EUS, new techniques have been developed to improve the characterization of the lesions detected by EUS. EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has been used for diagnosing pancreatic tumors. In order to improve the histological diagnostic yield, a EUS-FNA needle with a core trap has recently been developed. Contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS is a new imaging modality that uses an ultrasonographic contrast agent to visualize blood flow in fine vessels. This technique is useful in the diagnosis of pancreatic solid lesions and in confirming the presence of vascularity in mural nodules for cystic lesions. EUS elastography analyzes several different variables to measure tissue elasticity, color patterns, and strain ratio, using analytical techniques such as hue-histogram analysis, and artificial neural networks, which are useful for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.