EUS Guided Cystogastrostomy
Pancreas is an organ in the middle of the abdomen which secretes chemicals which help in digesting food. Sometimes, when pancreas gets “inflamed” in a condition called “pancreatitis” the chemicals can leak in the abdomen resulting in death of various tissues and formation of a large pocket of dead tissue with collection.
Such patients are extremely ill, with high risk of death. Traditionally, these patients were managed with open surgery. With the availability of endoscopic tools, a painless procedure called “cystogastrostomy” is performed with the help of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in which a metal stent is placed across the stomach into the collection. Following this procedure, the dead tissue with pus comes out of the cavity in the stomach. In some cases, a procedure called “necrosectomy” is performed with endoscopy in which the endoscope is advanced in the cavity with removal of dead tissue. Most patients can be managed with this technique with lower complications and reduced length of stay in hospital for the patient. This is a painless procedure and performed under sedation.