Importance of mediastinal screening-based observation during endoscopic ultrasound to examine gastrointestinal pathologies

In all endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) examinations performed at our hospital, the heart, vasculature, and mediastinal lymph nodes from the esophagus are observed after checking for gastrointestinal pathologies. Since the introduction of EUS using a convex linear-array echoendoscope at our hospital in April 2015, EUS examinations have been performed in 371 cases for examining pancreaticobiliary diseases, submucosal tumors, and other pathologies during the 3-year period, till March 2018. We diagnosed 2 patients with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease while observing the mediastinum during EUS examination to examine identified pancreaticobiliary disease. No subjective symptoms associated with cardiovascular disease were observed and the respective conditions had not been identified previously in either case. One case involved a left atrial myxoma while the other involved a saccular aortic aneurysm in the thoracic aorta. A left atrial tumor resection and aortic replacement surgery were performed in each case. Their postoperative courses have been favorable. As cardiovascular diseases are often life-threatening, as in the present 2 cases, observational screening of the cardiovascular system from the esophagus should also be performed during EUS examinations just as the pharyngeal region is examined during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.