Innovative Endoscopic Procedure Available at Springfield Clinic
For years, the use of imaging in medicine has helped detect abnormalities in the digestive tract, including the esophagus, stomach, pancreas and liver. Until recently; however, patients would still require a biopsy or surgical resection to determine the nature of the problem. Patients would often undergo invasive procedures, which would require hospital stays, and, at times, lengthy periods of waiting for results. Now, a technologically advanced procedure performed at Springfield Clinic offers an alternative solution.
Ashish Chopra, MD, specialist in Gastroenterology at Springfield Clinic, is specially trained in the new diagnostic procedure known as Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) with Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA).
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) combines endoscopy, introduced through a patient’s mouth, and ultrasound to explore internal organs. When a tissue sample is required, Fine Needle Aspiration, or FNA, uses a thin needle attached to the endoscope. The needle can be used to remove tissue samples, guide treatments, analyze masses, and help diagnose conditions. Using EUS with FNA, physicians are able to get a deeper biopsy, and can look through thin layers of tissue with minimal invasion. EUS with FNA can even be used to determine the stage of cancer once it discovers a nodule or mass.
EUS with FNA has been available in larger markets for years. “Up until a few years ago, patients in the Springfield area were referred to Chicago or St. Louis for this procedure,” said Chopra. “Now it can be done locally.” Dr. Chopra performs EUS with FNA as an outpatient procedure in a hospital setting, but expects the service to soon be offered at Springfield Clinic’s Ambulatory Surgery & Endoscopy Center.
Dr. Chopra stresses the importance of having access to this kind of procedure in Springfield. “It’s here, it’s safe, and it offers good diagnostic accuracy to determine what’s going on.”
Dr. Ashish Chopra
Dr. Chopra, a native of Chicago, Illinois, earned his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine. Immediately following, he completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic, followed by a residency in Gastroenterology at his alma mater, St. Louis University School of Medicine. Dr. Chopra was awarded two fellowships, one in Hepatology & Liver Transplantation at Mayo Clinic, and another in Advanced Endoscopy at University of Illinois in Chicago.
Dr. Chopra is one of the newer additions to Springfield Clinic, beginning practice in July of 2010. He is Board Certified in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine.