Artificial intelligence models for the diagnosis and management of liver diseases

With the development of more advanced methods for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the data required for medical care are becoming complex, and misinterpretation of information due to human error may result in serious consequences. Human error can be avoided with the support of artificial intelligence (AI). AI models trained with various medical data for diagnosis and management of liver diseases have been applied to hepatitis, fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Some of these models have been reported to outperform human experts in terms of performance, indicating their potential for supporting clinical practice given their high-speed output. This paper summarizes the recent advances in AI for liver disease and introduces the AI-aided diagnosis of liver tumors using B-mode ultrasonography.

Endoscopic Reintervention for Recurrence of Malignant Biliary Obstruction: Developing the Best Strategy

Drainage therapy for malignant biliary obstruction (MBO) includes trans-papillary endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD), percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD), and transgastrointestinal endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD). With the development of chemotherapy, many MBO cases end up needing endoscopic reintervention (E-RI) for recurrent biliary obstruction. To achieve a successful E-RI, it is necessary to understand the various findings regarding E-RI in MBO cases reported to date. Therefore, in this review, we focus on E-RI for ERBD of distal MBO, ERBD of hilar MBO, and EUS-BD. To plan an appropriate E-RI strategy for biliary stent occlusion for MBO, the following must be considered on a case-by-case basis: the urgency of the drainage, the cause of the occlusion, the original route of drainage (PTBD/ERBD/EUS-BD), the initial stent used (plastic stent or self-expandable metallic stent), and in the case of self-expandable metallic stents, the type used (fully covered or uncovered). Regardless of the original method of stent placement, if the inflammation caused by obstructive cholangitis is severe and/or the patient is in shock, PTBD should be considered as the first choice. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that in many cases, performing E-RI will be difficult.

Bispectral index-guided propofol sedation during endoscopic ultrasonography

Background/Aims@#Bispectral index (BIS) monitors process and display electroencephalographic data are used to assess the depth of anesthesia. This study retrospectively evaluated the usefulness of BIS monitoring during endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). @*Methods@#This study included 725 consecutive patients who underwent EUS under sedation with propofol. BIS monitoring was used in 364 patients and was not used in 361. The following parameters were evaluated: (1) median dose of propofol; (2) respiratory and circulatory depression; (3) occurrence of body movements; (4) awakening score >8 at the time; and (5) awakening score 2 hours after leaving the endoscopy room. @*Results@#The BIS group received a significantly lower median dose of propofol than the non-BIS group (159.2 mg vs. 167.5 mg; p=0.015) in all age groups. For patients aged ≥75 years, the reduction in heart rate was significantly lower in the BIS group than in the non-BIS group (1.2% vs. 9.1%; p=0.023). Moreover, the occurrence of body movements was markedly lower in the BIS group than in the non-BIS group (8.5% vs. 39.4%; p<0.001). @*Conclusions@#During EUS examination, BIS monitoring is useful for maintaining a constant depth of anesthesia, especially in patients 75 years of age or older.

The AFSUMB Consensus Statements and Recommendations for the Clinical Practice of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound using Sonazoid

The first edition of the guidelines for the use of ultrasound contrast agents was published in 2004, dealing with liver applications. The second edition of the guidelines in 2008 reflected changes in the available contrast agents and updated the guidelines for the liver, as well as implementing some nonliver applications. The third edition of the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) guidelines was the joint World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology-European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB-EFSUMB) venture in conjunction with other regional US societies such as Asian Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, resulting in a simultaneous duplicate on liver CEUS in the official journals of both WFUMB and EFSUMB in 2013. However, no guidelines were described mainly for Sonazoid due to limited clinical experience only in Japan and Korea. The new proposed consensus statements and recommendations provide general advice on the use of Sonazoid and are intended to create standard protocols for the use and administration of Sonazoid in hepatic and pancreatobiliary applications in Asian patients and to improve patient management.

Can Localized Stenosis of the Main Pancreatic Duct be a Predictive Factor for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer?

No abstract available.

Stent migration during EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy in a patient with massive ascites: troubleshooting using additional EUS-guided antegrade stenting

EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy [EUS-HGS] is useful for treating obstructive jaundice. However, stent migration may sometimes occur both during and after the procedure. This report describes a patient with pancreatic cancer and massive ascites who underwent EUS-HGS combined with EUS-guided antegrade stenting [EUS-AS], with additional EUS-AS playing a role in troubleshooting for stent migration during EUS-HGS

New endoscopic ultrasonography techniques for pancreaticobiliary diseases

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is widely used to evaluate pancreaticobiliary diseases, especially pancreatic masses. EUS has a good ability to detect pancreatic masses, but it is not sufficient for the differential diagnosis of various types of lesions. In order to address the limitations of EUS, new techniques have been developed to improve the characterization of the lesions detected by EUS. EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has been used for diagnosing pancreatic tumors. In order to improve the histological diagnostic yield, a EUS-FNA needle with a core trap has recently been developed. Contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS is a new imaging modality that uses an ultrasonographic contrast agent to visualize blood flow in fine vessels. This technique is useful in the diagnosis of pancreatic solid lesions and in confirming the presence of vascularity in mural nodules for cystic lesions. EUS elastography analyzes several different variables to measure tissue elasticity, color patterns, and strain ratio, using analytical techniques such as hue-histogram analysis, and artificial neural networks, which are useful for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Metastases from Colorectal Cancer: A Literature Review

Liver metastases occur in up to 60% of patients with colorectal cancer, and the control of liver metastases is considered to be of primary importance because it is a critical factor in determining prognosis. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy is one of the least invasive techniques for unresectable hepatic malignancies and can be performed safely using percutaneous, laparoscopic, or open surgical techniques. The local tumor progression rates after RFA for colorectal liver metastases range from 8.8% to 40.0%, and 5-year survival rates range from 20.0% to 48.5%. No prospective, randomized trials comparing the efficacy of RFA with that of surgical resection for colorectal liver metastases are currently available. However, some retrospective studies have reported that patients who received RFA had a survival rate similar to that observed in surgically treated groups, while other studies have reported better survival among patients who underwent surgical resection. The use of a laparoscopic or open surgical approach allows the repeated placement of RFA electrodes at multiple sites to ablate larger tumors. An accurate evaluation of treatment response is very important for the success of RFA therapy because a sufficient safety margin (at least 0.5 cm) can prevent local tumor progression. This review critically summarizes the current status of RFA for liver metastases from colorectal cancer.