Kenneth J. Chang, MD, Guest Editor

Dial forward 15 years—previously unimaginable techniques, such as EUS-guided biliary drainage, choledocho-duodenostomy, hepatico-gastrostomy, creation of anastomosis, pancreatico-gastrostomy, pancreatic cyst ablation, abscess drainage, fiducial markers, brachytherapy, vascular access and therapy, tumor ablation, and delivery of antitumor agents, have all emerged within the portfolio of Interventional EUS.

Therefore, Dr Lightdale determined it was high time to dedicate a complete issue to Interventional EUS. To this end, we have assembled world-class endosonographers from Asia, Europe, and the United States, to put in your hands the most concise and authoritative “one-stop-shop” resource for Interventional EUS. The concept of this issue was to devote half of the articles to the current practice of Interventional EUS (including FNA) and the remainder to emerging and future applications. For section one, the authors were challenged to give us evidence-based current “best practice” guidelines for practical issues, such as, which needle should we use for FNA, how many passes should we make if we don’t have a cytologist, which pancreatic cyst should we stick a needle into, what stains should we get for submucosal tumors (SMT), what’s our role in lung cancer staging, what are some tricks-of-the-trade for pseudocyst drainage, should we target ganglia during neurolysis, and what is the best EUS approach (or not) after failed ERCP cannulation. Section two, in contrast, focuses on emerging technologies, ie, the more creative side. Here we dive into topics such as instilling chemotherapy into pancreatic cysts, injecting coils and glue into gastric varices, performing needle-based confocal laser induced endomicroscopy (nCLE) and cystoscopy (ie, EUS-guided fine needle imaging), delivering viral “Trojan horses” into cancerous tumors, and presenting a new concept of “Endo-Hepatology.” With this blend of practical issues and future prospects, our collective hope is that this volume will become a helpful resource for endosonographers throughout the world. Please join us as we celebrate another milestone for EUS!