Mastering EUS Anatomy

Endosonography (EUS) is a distinct endoscopic procedure that requires not only knowledge and pristine hand-eye coordination but also requires a large amount of dedication practice and mixture of knowing the normal anatomy as well anatomical variants and abnormalities when they are present.

Usually, the path to mastering EUS requires a journey from unconscious to conscious incompetence and then a phase of conscious competence when an individual exerts effort and acquires knowledge. This usually culminates in those who endure the journey to a EUS becoming second nature. Another phase of struggle that might phase these masters of EUS is to start teaching and guiding others to acquire that skill and to articulate that procedure requires a state of “reflective competence” when a trainer can breakdown what he is doing to trainees and an understandable simple way.

In this lecture we shall review some of the major anatomical landmarks when performing EUS of the upper gastrointestinal track and some of the ways that the settings of the instruments can facilitate better image acquisition. This review might relay some of the knowledge needed to master EUS but it is not a substitute for observing, training, and repetitive procedures that would help in solidify this multifaceted skill.