Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Oct 16, 2026; 18(10): 127148
Published online Oct 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.127148
Published online Oct 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.127148
Advances in endoscopic ultrasound for autoimmune pancreatitis: Tissue acquisition, imaging innovations, artificial intelligence, and multidisciplinary integrations
Ioannis Braimakis, Waleed Fateen, Noor LH Bekkali, Adam Bailey, Emma L Culver, Translational Gastroenterology and Liver Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford OX39DU, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Braimakis I, Fateen W, and Culver EL conceptualised and designed the review; Braimakis I created the artwork, conducted the literature review and drafted the original manuscript; Culver EL, Bailey A, and Bekkali NLH supervised, and made critical revisions; all authors prepared the draft and approved the submitted version.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using Claude (Anthropic) for language refinement and grammar correction. The authors are responsible for and agree to accountability for all scientific content, and confirm that all AI-assisted outputs have been carefully reviewed, verified, and validated.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have completed the ICMJE Conflict-of-interest statement form. Bailey A, Braimakis I and Fateen W have nothing to disclose. Culver EL has received grant support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. Additionally, she has received consulting fees, honoraria for lectures/presentations, and fees for advisory board participation from Amgen, Ipsen, Sanofi, Gilead, Zenus, GSK, Dr Falk and Mirum. Furthermore, she has received support for attending meetings and/or travel from Amgen, Ipsen, Sanofi, Gilead, Zenus and Dr Falk. She is a member of the EASL Governing Board, Chair-Elect of the EASL Scientific Committee, Chair of the BASL Immune-Mediated Liver Disease group, and a member of the UEG Research Council. Bekkali NLH has received honoraria for webinars, scientific presentations, and consultancy from Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Fujifilm, and payment from Q3 Medical for teaching on pancreatic duct stents. She is the pancreas representative of the British Society of Gastroenterology. The authors declare that no funding was received for this review.
Corresponding author: Ioannis Braimakis, Translational Gastroenterology and Liver Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford OX39DU, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. giannis_br@hotmail.com
Received: August 24, 2026
Revised: September 27, 2026
Accepted: October 13, 2026
Published online: October 16, 2026
Processing time: 52 Days and 23.7 Hours
Revised: September 27, 2026
Accepted: October 13, 2026
Published online: October 16, 2026
Processing time: 52 Days and 23.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is central to the diagnostic work-up of autoimmune pancreatitis, particularly in patients with focal pancreatic enlargement or mass-like lesions. Advances in EUS imaging and EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy using end-cutting needles may improve lesion characterisation and diagnostic accuracy by preserving tissue architecture. Artificial intelligence has the potential to further enhance EUS interpretation and reduce interobserver variability. Given the diagnostic complexity and need to exclude malignancy, multidisciplinary collaboration is valuable for integrating imaging, histology, serology and clinical findings and for guiding subsequent correct diagnosis and management.