EUS-FNA using a forward-view echoendoscope in difficult cases.

Endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle aspiration (EUSFNA) was introduced at the beginning of the 90’s thanks to the linear echoendoscopes allowing real time visualization of aspiration needles [1]. A prototype forward view (FV) echoendoscope (XGF-UCT160JAL5, Olympus Medical Systems Europe GmbH, Hamburg, Germany) was recently developed with an ultrasound field of view almost coaxial to the exit path of the working channel, allowing the use of needles and other devices in a straight position similarly to a gastroscope. The FV echoendoscope was originally designed for therapeutic procedures [2-4]; however, it has been reported that it can be very useful for standard EUSFNA too [5, 6]. This is a report regarding a group of patients in whom we used the FV echoendoscope with a 22-Gauge needle after failure with standard EUS-FN