MANA Doctor First in Area to Offer Procedure

Dr. Edward Jackson is the first pulmonologist in Northwest Arkansas to provide endobronchial ultrasound, a minimally invasive procedure that has proven highly effective in the diagnosis of lung cancer, infections and other diseases causing enlarged lymph nodes in the chest, according to a news release.

The technology allows doctors to visualize lymph nodes and the surrounding vessels in real-time, via ultrasound. It provides a clearer picture of the pulmonary system than any other technology, the release stated.

It also results in better imaging of smaller, hard-to-reach areas, and allows for sampling of tissue or fluid from the lungs and surrounding lymph nodes without conventional surgery. The samples can be used for diagnosing and staging lung cancer, and the procedure doesn’t require incisions, which means patients usually go home the same day.

Jackson cited EBUS as safer and more accurate than conventional “blind” procedures in the release, and said it’s a less costly alternative to a traditional mediastinoscopy. Jackson is a board-certified pulmonary and critical-care physician with Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas’ Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic.