Experiences in endoscopic ultrasonography at a tertiary center general surgery endoscopy unit

Aim: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is used for diagnosing pathologies in the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs. This study aims to share the experiences and results of EUS and biopsy at a tertiary center general surgery endoscopy unit, in the context of the literature. Methods: Patients who underwent EUS imaging at the general surgery endoscopy unit between January 2021 and January 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic characteristics, EUS biopsy indications, clinical pre-diagnoses, preoperative imaging methods, biopsy counts, and results, a s well as complications, were ana - lyzed. Results: The mean age of the 292 patients was 56.5±15.5 years, with 157 (53.8%) being male. The most com - mon EUS indication was a mass in the pancreas, accounting for 181 (62%). Endoscopic fine-needle aspiration bi- opsy was performed on 127 (43.4%) patients, and the mean diameter of biopsied masses was 35.1±27.7 mm. Malignancy was detected in 74 (58.2%) of the biopsied patients. Based on biopsy and lesion characteristics, 49.3% of patients were followed up, 80 (27.4%) underwent surgery, 45 (15.4%) received oncological treatment, and 23 (7.9%) were given endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Conclusion: The role of EUS in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies, pancreatic diseas - es, and biliary diseases continues to evolve. We believe that EUS plays a key role in the multidisciplinary man - agement of complex surgical and oncology patients and those with pancreatobiliary disorders.