Interventional endoscopic ultrasonography: Where are we headed?

Abstract

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is an essential endoscopic tool within the diagnostic and therapeutic armamentarium of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases. EUS-guided tissue acquisition will develop towards facilitating personalized treatment by obtaining large representative tissue specimens for elaborate immunohistochemical and biomolecular typing of the tumor. Intratumoral or intravascular delivery of drugs potentially offers many advantages over systemic injection. Intratumoral application of radiofrequency ablation and photodynamic therapy show promise but need to be explored further. Appositioning and connecting luminal structures within the gastrointestinal tract using fully covered expandable lumen-apposing stents will expand its indication far beyond the drainage of (infected) fluid collections and EUS-guided gastrojejunostomy is a particularly exciting development that could have significant impact on the management of gastric outlet obstruction.