New developments in endoscopic ultrasound-guided therapies

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has opened new horizons in minimally invasive therapies for diverse gastrointestinal pathologies. Digestive Disease Weak 2015 held in Washington, DC., USA featured exciting research articles on EUS-guided therapeutic procedures. EUS-guided biliary drainage has been attempted and described for many years. There seems to be a lot of interest among various international groups to compare this technique with other alternatives in terms of efficacy and safety. Similarly, EUS-guided pancreatic drainage of cysts and fluid collections continues to evolve with new stents and devices being developed specifically for deployment under endosonographic guidance. EUS-guided ablation of cystic pancreatic tumors is innovative but not always effective. Combining alcohol ablation with injecting chemotherapeutic agents may improve long-term results regarding efficacy. Similarly, for solid pancreatic tumors there appears to be ongoing interest and continuing efforts in injecting different chemotherapeutic or ablative agents, delivering fiducials for radiation guidance and even attempting ablation with radiofrequency. Gastric variceal treatment and EUS-guided anastomoses also continue to be investigated. This review article is focused on the recent developments in EUS-guided therapies presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2015.