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Artif Intell Gastrointest Endosc. Apr 28, 2022; 3(2): 9-15
Published online Apr 28, 2022. doi: 10.37126/aige.v3.i2.9
Artificial intelligence in the endoscopic approach of biliary tract diseases: A current review
Fábio Pereira Correia, Luís Carvalho Lourenço
Fábio Pereira Correia, Luís Carvalho Lourenço, Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Prof. Dr Fernando Fonseca, Amadora 2720-276, Portugal
Luís Carvalho Lourenço, Gastroenterology Center, Hospital Cuf Tejo - Nova Medical School/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon 1350-352, Portugal
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to this work, and have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicting interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (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: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Luís Carvalho Lourenço, MD, Attending Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Prof. Dr Fernando Fonseca, IC19, Amadora 2720-276, Portugal. luisclourenco@gmail.com
Received: January 16, 2022
Peer-review started: January 16, 2022
First decision: March 8, 2022
Revised: March 22, 2022
Accepted: April 20, 2022
Article in press: April 20, 2022
Published online: April 28, 2022
Processing time: 101 Days and 15.9 Hours
Abstract

In recent years there have been major developments in the field of artificial intelligence. The different areas of medicine have taken advantage of this tool to make various diagnostic and therapeutic methods more effective, safe, and user-friendly. In this way, artificial intelligence has been an increasingly present reality in medicine. In the field of Gastroenterology, the main application has been in the detection and characterization of colonic polyps, but an increasing number of studies have been published on the application of deep learning systems in other pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Evidence of the application of artificial intelligence in the assessment of biliary tract is still scarce. Some studies support the usefulness of these systems in the investigation and treatment of choledocholithiasis, demonstrating that they have the potential to be integrated into clinical practice and endoscopic procedures, such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Its application in cholangioscopy for the investigation of undetermined biliary strictures also seems to be promising. Assessing the bile duct through endoscopic ultrasound can be challenging, especially for less experienced operators, thus becoming an area of potential interest for artificial intelligence. In this review, we summarize the state of the art of artificial intelligence in the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of biliary diseases.

Keywords: Deep learning, Artificial Neural Networks, Bile duct, Choledocholithiasis, Biliary strictures

Core Tip: In recent times, artificial intelligence has played an increasing role in Gastroenterology. There have been numerous studies that show the potential of this technology in clinical practice. Despite this, evidence of the application of these systems in the investigation and treatment of biliary diseases is still scarce. The complexity and challenge that may underlie these processes make this symbiosis very promising. We reviewed the state of the art regarding the application of artificial intelligence in biliary pathology.