New progress in endoscopic treatment of esophageal diseases

The technique of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), which was developed for en bloc resection of large lesions in the stomach, has been widely accepted for the treatment of the entire gastrointestinal tract. Many minimally invasive endoscopic therapies based on ESD have been developed recently. Endoscopic submucosal excavation, submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection and laparoscopic-endoscopic cooperative surgery have been used to remove submucosal tumors, especially tumors which originate from the muscularis propria of the digestive tract. Peroral endoscopic myotomy has recently been described as a scarless and less invasive surgical myotomy option for the treatment of achalasia. Patients benefit from minimally invasive endoscopic therapy. This article, in the highlight topic series, provides detailed information on the indications and treatments for esophageal diseases.