OBJECTIVETo give a conceptual description of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), review the early efforts in the NOTES field, and discuss its challenges and limitations.

DATA SOURCESThe data were retrieved mainly from publications listed in MEDLINE, PubMed and China Wanfang Database from 2005 to 2009. The search term was "NOTES".

STUDY SELECTIONThe articles involved in the "NOTES" study were selected and the review articles were excluded from the comparison.

RESULTSA marked increase in quantity in articles was shown each year for NOTES studies from 2006 to 2009. Animal experiments with "NOTES" have been carried out in China from 2007, and two independent "NOTES" procedures on humans were reported in 2009.

CONCLUSIONAlthough still in its infancy, the "NOTES" procedure is promising as another type of minimally invasive surgery and favorable alternative to current interventions.

Endoscopy, Digestive System ; methods ; Humans ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; methods

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, the volume and availability of digestive endoscopy have undergone dramatic development in recent years, with increasing attention on quality assurance. We investigated the utilization and quality of digestive endoscopy in China from 2015 to 2019 and developed a quantitative quality evaluation tool for medical institutions. METHODS: We invited all tertiary/secondary hospitals in Chinese mainland to participate in the survey annually. The questionnaires included the personnel, annual volume, and quality indicators of endoscopy. An endoscopy quality index (EQI) was developed based on recorded quality indicators using principal component analysis to determine the relative weight. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2019, 806, 1412, 2644, 2468, and 2541 hospitals were respectively enrolled in this study. The average annual volume of endoscopy increased from 12,445 to 16,206 (1.30-fold) and from 2938 to 4255 (1.45-fold) in tertiary and secondary hospitals, respectively. The most obvious growth was observed in diagnostic colonoscopy (1.44-fold for all hospitals after standardization). The proportion of early cancer among all esophageal and gastric cancers during diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy increased from 12.3% (55,210/448,861) to 17.7% (85,429/482,647) and from 11.4% (69,411/608,866) to 16.9% (107,192/634,235), respectively. The adenoma detection rate of diagnostic colonoscopy increased from 14.9% (2,118,123/14,215,592) to 19.3% (3,943,203/20,431,104). The EQI model included 12 quality indicators, incorporating 64.9% (7.792/12) of the total variance into one comprehensive index. According to the EQI measurements, the quality of endoscopy was higher in tertiary hospitals and hospitals in developed areas with higher volume or more endoscopists than that in other hospitals. CONCLUSIONS Digestive endoscopy in China has developed considerably in recent years in terms of both volume and quality. The EQI is a promising tool to quantify the quality of endoscopy at different hospitals.
Humans ; Colonoscopy/methods* ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Endoscopy, Digestive System/methods* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Adenoma ; China

The mechanism and principles of autofluorescence imaging based on autofluorescence technique are reported. The threshold value of fluorescence spectrum ratio applied can be quantitative and objective and the reliable measurement method that may provide intuitive method of autofluorescence imaging in the gut mucosa. The suspected lesion may be found rapidly according to the imaging color difference, therefore the results of clinical study of the digestive tract cancer diagnosis indicated that the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 94%, 95.5% and 94.8% respectively, and it has very high value in clinical application.
Digestive System Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Early Detection of Cancer ; instrumentation ; methods ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; instrumentation ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Photofluorography ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Cutaneous Fistula ; Digestive System Abnormalities ; therapy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Treatment Outcome

Tunnel endoscopy is a new therapeutic technique developed from natural orifice endoscopic transluminal surgery and endoscopic submucosal dissection. With the quick development in the passing 5 years, tunnel endoscopy has been applied in the treatment of clinical diseases. In this article, our aim was to clarify the indication and method, evaluate the efficacy and safety of tunnel endoscopy for the treatment of esophagogastric diseases, including esophageal achalasia and submucosal tumors originating from the muscularis propria layer.
Endoscopy, Digestive System ; adverse effects ; methods ; Esophageal Diseases ; surgery ; Humans ; Stomach Diseases ; surgery

Tube feeding is used to provide nutritional support to patients who have difficulty taking food orally. A nasogastric tube is commonly used for these patients but there are some complications. Therefore, the oro-esophageal tube feeding method was developed to avoid these disadvantages. A 33-year-old male with a history of right basal ganglia intracranial hemorrhage was admitted to the rehabilitation department for the treatment of dysphagia caused by a new onset left basal ganglia intracranial hemorrhage. After the videofluoroscopic swallowing study, the nasogastric tube feeding was changed to intermittent feeding via an oro-esophageal tube. Unfortunately, the patient swallowed the tube during insertion. Hence, an emergent endoscopy was performed for tube removal. This article reports a rare case of a patient who underwent oro-esophageal tube removal with an esophagogastroduodenoscopy after tube swallowing during insertion. The insertion of an oro-esophageal tube requires a careful approach after considering the cognitive function, muscle strength, and family education.
Adult ; Basal Ganglia ; Cognition ; Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders ; Education ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Enteral Nutrition ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Male ; Methods ; Muscle Strength ; Nutritional Support ; Rehabilitation

Studying the critical technique of virtual endoscopy (VE), we developed a VE system for clinical application. Computerized tomograph (CT) VE images built by the VE system were compared to those by fiberscopy and pathology. The results showed that the VE system could satisfy the demand of clinical application. The technique being applied to VE system is feasible.
Computer Simulation ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; methods ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods ; User-Computer Interface

Artificial intelligence is likely to perform several roles currently performed by humans, and the adoption of artificial intelligence-based medicine in gastroenterology practice is expected in the near future. Medical image-based diagnoses, such as pathology, radiology, and endoscopy, are expected to be the first in the medical field to be affected by artificial intelligence. A convolutional neural network, a kind of deep-learning method with multilayer perceptrons designed to use minimal preprocessing, was recently reported as being highly beneficial in the field of endoscopy, including esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, and capsule endoscopy. A convolutional neural network-based diagnostic program was challenged to recognize anatomical locations in esophagogastroduodenoscopy images, Helicobacter pylori infection, and gastric cancer for esophagogastroduodenoscopy; to detect and classify colorectal polyps; to recognize celiac disease and hookworm; and to perform small intestine motility characterization of capsule endoscopy images. Artificial intelligence is expected to help endoscopists provide a more accurate diagnosis by automatically detecting and classifying lesions; therefore, it is essential that endoscopists focus on this novel technology. In this review, we describe the effects of artificial intelligence on gastroenterology with a special focus on automatic diagnosis, based on endoscopic findings.
Ancylostomatoidea ; Artificial Intelligence ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Celiac Disease ; Colonoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Gastroenterology ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Intestine, Small ; Learning ; Methods ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Pathology ; Polyps ; Stomach Neoplasms

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for the removal of small gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).

METHODSGIST diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) was managed by ESD with the needle knife as follows:(1)Injecting normal saline into the submucosa. (2)Pre-cutting the surrounding mucosa of the lesion. (3) Dissecting the submucosal tissue to display GIST and resecting the lesion completely.

RESULTSOf 20 GISTs, 12 located in gastric fundus, and 1 in gastric antrum, 3 in gastric body and 4 in rectum. Lesion diameter ranged from 0.5 to 3.2 cm and the mean resected size was 1.6 cm. Among 20 lesions, 19 were resected with ESD completely, and 1 received additional operation because of tumor residual in the wound after ESD. The success rate of ESD was 95.0% (19/20). The mean ESD procedure time was 87.5 min (ranging from 60 to 150 min). None of the patients had delayed bleeding after ESD. Perforations occurred in 3 cases after the dissection of the GIST, which were closed with metallic endoclips without additional surgical suture. The perforation rate of ESD was 15.0% (3/20). The follow up ranged from 2 to 12 months, and no recurrence was observed by EUS except the above-mentioned case undergone additional operation.

CONCLUSIONESD is effective and safe for small GIST, which can resect the whole lesion and provide pathological information.

Adult ; Aged ; Digestive System Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; methods ; Endosonography ; Esophagoscopy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastric Mucosa ; surgery ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic efficacy of endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) for treating various types of gastric varices (GV) by reviewing patient cases in order to identify the influencing factors of EVL-related recurrence and rebleeding.

METHODSThe medical records of 101 GV cases treated by EVL in our department between January 2008 and October 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The cases were grouped according to GV type: type 1 (GOV1, n = 63), type 2 (GOV2, n = 18), GOV1 coexisting with GOV2 (n = 11), isolated GOV1 (IGV1, n = 9), and GOV2 (IGV2, n = 0). Data from follow-up examinations (range: 1.5 - 48.0 months, average: 14.9 +/- 9.1 months) were extracted for analysis and included early (less than 72 h after EVL) and late (72 h to 6 weeks after EVL) rebleeding and recurrence. In addition, data from computed tomography (CT) or CT angiography (CTA), performed in 32 of the patients, were extracted to determine the influence of supplying veins, gastrorenal or splenorenal shunts, and portal vein and/or splenic vein diameters on GV recurrence. Data analysis was carried out by ANOVA, Chi-square, Fisher's exact or rank-sum tests, as appropriate. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the time of first recurrent bleeding, and the log-rank test was used to compare between-group differences.

RESULTSGOV2 and IGV1 varices were more severe than the varices of GOV1 (GOV2 and GOV1: u = -2.960; IGV1 and GOV1: u = -2.871; both P less than 0.05). GOV1 had a significantly lower recurrence rate than all other GV types (x2 = 7.054, P less than 0.05). The CT and CTA data indicated that all GV were supplied by left gastric veins, while 83.3% of IGV1 had blood supplementation by left gastric veins and short gastric or posterior gastric veins, and 100% of IGV1 had gastrorenal or splenorenal shunts. Approximately one-half of the total GV cases (56.3%, 18/32) had gastrorenal or splenorenal shunts, and this parameter was correlated with portal vein diameter (t = -2.766, P less than 0.05). The presence of gastrorenal or splenorenal shunts was correlated with both recurrence and rebleeding (P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONEVL can effectively control bleeding and prevent rebleeding for GV; although, the best therapeutic efficacy and lowest rate of recurrence was achieved in GOV1 cases. The presence of gastrorenal or splenorenal shunts increases the risk of GV recurrence.

Adult ; Aged ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Ligation ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult