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World J Gastrointest Endosc. Aug 16, 2017; 9(8): 378-388
Published online Aug 16, 2017. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v9.i8.378
Endoscopic ultrasonography - emerging applications in hepatology
Joana Magalhães, Sara Monteiro, Sofia Xavier, Sílvia Leite, Francisca Dias de Castro, José Cotter
Joana Magalhães, Sara Monteiro, Sofia Xavier, Sílvia Leite, Francisca Dias de Castro, José Cotter, Gastroenterology Department, Hospital Senhora da Oliveira, 4835-044 Guimarães, Portugal
Joana Magalhães, Sara Monteiro, Sofia Xavier, Sílvia Leite, Francisca Dias de Castro, José Cotter, School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4704-553 Braga, Portugal
Joana Magalhães, Sara Monteiro, Sofia Xavier, Sílvia Leite, Francisca Dias de Castro, José Cotter, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
Author contributions: Magalhães J wrote and conceived the study; Monteiro S and Xavier S contributed to the literature search and acquisition of data; Leite S, de Castro FD and Cotter J contributed to the critical appraisal of the work, revising the article critically for important intellectual content; all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors disclose any potential or actual personal, political or financial conflict of interest in the material, information or techniques described in the paper.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Joana Magalhães, MD, Gastroenterology Department, Hospital Senhora da Oliveira, Rua dos Cuteleiros, Creixomil, 4835-044 Guimarães, Portugal. 3401@hospitaldeguimaraes.min-saude.pt
Telephone: +351-253-540330 Fax: +351-253-513592
Received: January 23, 2017
Peer-review started: February 2, 2017
First decision: February 20, 2017
Revised: March 30, 2017
Accepted: July 7, 2017
Article in press: July 10, 2017
Published online: August 16, 2017
Core Tip

Core tip: This review summarizes the current status of the available evidence regarding the application of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) to patients with liver diseases, focusing on recent breakthroughs and its potential application on clinical practice. We highlight the emerging role of EUS in the study of parenchymal liver disease as well as in the diagnosis and classification of focal liver lesions. Finally, we emphasise the crucial role of EUS in the understanding of the complex collateral circulation in patients with portal hypertension.