Future Directions in EndoHepatology

Abstract

Endoscopic options for the patient with suspected or known liver disease have expanded to the point where the concept of an endoscopic "one-stop shop" can now be considered. This special edition has highlighted some of these emerging options, including EUS-guided liver biopsies, portal pressure measurements and intravascular directed therapies. The purpose of this review is to highlight future directions of "EndoHepatology" including diagnostic and therapeutic interventions that are currently in benchtop, animal or early investigative human study stages and attempt to prognosticate their role in this evolving field. They include EUS based elastography, portal venous sampling, applications of artificial intelligence, improved therapies for variceal bleeding, liver-directed chemoembolization and gene therapy; and intrahepatic portosytemic shunt creation.