Because of its low cost and high yield, EUS-guided FNA is a cost-effective aid assessing mediastinal lymphadenopathy.

Virtual colonoscopy is feasible, well tolerated, and capable of detecting most lesions greater than 10 mm in diameter. This technique is continuing to be developed and warrants further evaluation as a diagnostic and screening tool in colorectal neoplasia.

Further catheter modifications are needed, but it appears to be feasible to assess vascular invasion in cholangiocarcinoma and to characterize biliary strictures in a way that may be able to influence therapy options in some patients. The currently available CBUSP cannot distinguish between benign and malignant strictures. However, with technical modifications, this may be possible in the future. The clinical usefulness of CBUSP in the pancreas awaits further investigation, but pancreatic imaging is feasible.

No abstract

Nearly 90 % of prophylactic 3-Fr pancreatic duct stents pass spontaneously within 30 days, and these stents were not observed to induce changes in the pancreatic duct.