Endo-hepatology is a challenging field in the development of innovative endoscopic procedures in diagnosing and managing liver diseases, as well as biliary disorders. Innovations in ultrasound technology have been further expanded from transabdominal techniques to endoscopic techniques, such as endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and endoscopic intraductal ultrasound (IUS). Globally, chronic liver disease (CLD) is still a major challenge, especially in liver cirrhosis patients, and its complications are related to the portal hypertension condition. Portal hypertension complications include gastro-esophageal varices, ascites, hepato-renal syndrome, and hepato-pulmonary syndrome. However, in the natural course of CLD, the development of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma/HCC) is the most common complication. On the other hand, biliary disorders also represent challenging clinical conditions, where more interventional therapeutic endoscopic procedures are needed in the era of minimally invasive surgical approaches. However, there is still lacking strong data-evidence in the development of endo-hepatology. Therefore, in this special issue, we seek to provide more insights and future concepts, including more extensive studies in the field of endo-hepatology.

Keywords: EUS-guided liver biopsy, EUS-guided abdominal paracentesis, EUS liver elastography, EUS-guided portal pressure gradient measurement, endo-hepatology, liver diseases, biliary disorders, endoscopic procedures, endoscopic ultrasound, intraductal ultrasound