Endoscopic ultrasound in the management of acute cholecystitis: Practical review.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) has emerged over the last years as an alternative procedure to percutaneous drainage (PT)-GBD in patients with acute cholecystitis (AC) at high surgical risk. This process has been driven by the advent of lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) with electrocautery-enhanced capability, which has rendered the drainage procedure easier to accomplish and safer. Studies and meta-analyses have proven the superiority of EUS-GBD over PT-GBD in high-surgical-risk patients with AC. Little evidence exists in the same setting that EUS-GBD compares equally with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Moreover, EUS-GBD might theoretically have a possible role in patients at high surgical risk with an indication to undergo cholecystectomy or with a high probability of conversion from LC to open cholecystectomy. Properly designed studies are needed to better clarify the role of EUS-GBD in these patient populations.

Endoscopic Ultrasound Biliary Drainage in Pancreatic Cancer.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided biliary drainage (BD) is an accepted salvage procedure in patients with distal malignant biliary obstruction (DMBO) when endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is unsuccessful. The potential advantages of EUS-BD include gastric or duodenal biliary access, utilization of novel biliary stents and stent placement away from the area of stenosis, resulting in longer stent patency. These features make EUS-BD very appealing as a primary procedure for biliary drainage. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the utilization of EUS as a primary drainage procedure instead of ERCP, with comparable outcomes.

The Role of Luminal Apposing Metal Stents on the Treatment of Malignant and Benign Gastric Outlet Obstruction.

Gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) is a clinical syndrome traditionally managed by surgical gastrojejunostomy or enteral stenting. The surgical approach is burdened with a high rate of adverse events (AEs), while enteral stenting has a limited long-term clinical effectiveness, with the need for repeat procedures. The availability of lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMSs) has resulted a shift in the treatment paradigm of GOO. Indeed, endoscopists are now able to create a stable anastomosis between the stomach and small bowel under endosonographic guidance. EUS-guided gastro-enteroanastomosis (EUS-GE) has the theoretical advantage of a durable luminal patency resulting from stent placement away from the site of obstruction, free from surgical-related AEs. This approach could be especially valuable in terminally ill patients with a limited life expectancy. The present paper reviews procedural techniques and clinical outcomes of EUS-GE in the context of both malignant and benign GOOs.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Locoregional Treatments for Solid Pancreatic Neoplasms.

Solid pancreatic neoplasms are one of the most diagnosed gastrointestinal malignancies thanks to the current and progressive advances in radiologic methods. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided techniques have over time gained a prominent role in the differential diagnosis and characterization of these pancreatic lesions, including pancreatic cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, and metastases. Recently, several endoscopic ultrasound-guided locoregional treatment techniques, which are divided into thermal ablative techniques and non-thermal injection techniques, have been developed and applied in different settings for the treatment of solid pancreatic neoplasms. The most common ablative techniques are radiofrequency, microwave, laser, photodynamic therapy and hybrid techniques such as hybrid cryothermal ablation. The most common injection techniques are ethanol injection, immunotherapy and brachytherapy. In this review, we update evidence about the efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasound-guided locoregional treatments for solid pancreatic neoplasms.