Endoscopic abbreviations – Update 2021

Back in 2016 GIE and Endoscopy jointly published a first list of preferred endoscopic abbreviations [1] [2]. We now present the 2021 update – and we have even included advice on how to show plurals! We hope this list will be useful for our authors and readers.

Deborah E. Bowman, MFA, ELS
Senior Managing Editor of Clinical Publications, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Peter D. Siersema, MD, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Endoscopy

Michael B. Wallace, MD, MPH
Editor-in-Chief, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Teresa Brady, BSc
Chief Copy Editor, Endoscopy

Table 1

Word or phrase	Abbreviation
acute biliary pancreatitis	ABP
acute necrotic collection	ANC
acute pancreatitis	Write in full
acute peripancreatic fluid collection	APFC
adenoma detection rate	ADR
adjusted odds ratio	adjusted OR
adverse event	AE
analysis of covariance	ANCOVA
analysis of variance	ANOVA
anteroposterior	Write in full
area under receiver operating characteristic curve	AUROC
argon plasma coagulation	APC
artificial intelligence	AI
artificial neural network	ANN
autofluorescence imaging	AFI
autoimmune pancreatitis	AIP
Barrett's esophagus	BE
benign biliary stricture	BBS
biosimilar	BSim
body mass index	BMI
Boston Bowel Preparation Scale	BBPS
capsule endoscopy	Use video capsule endoscopy (VCE)
carcinoembryonic antigen	CEA
celiac plexus neurolysis	CPN
charge-coupled device	CCD
cholangiocarcinoma	CCA
choledochoduodenostomy	CDS
chronic pancreatitis	Write in full
Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative	CORI
colorectal cancer	CRC
common bile duct	CBD
computed tomographic colonography	CTC
computed tomography	CT
computer-aided detection	CADe
computer-aided diagnosis	CADx
confidence interval	CI [no need to expand]
confidence limit	CL
confocal laser endomicroscopy	CLE
contrast enhancement	Write in full
contrast harmonic endoscopic ultrasound	CH-EUS
C-reactive protein	CRP
Crohn’s disease	CD
cumulative sum	CUSUM
diagnostic odds ratio	DOR
digital single-operator cholangioscopy	dSOC
direct action oral anticoagulant	DOAC
direct endoscopic necrosectomy	DEN
dose–area product	DAP
double-balloon enteroscopy	DBE
early gastric cancer	EGC
electrohydraulic lithotripsy	EHL
electronic chromoendoscopy	ECE
endoscope-based confocal laser endomicroscopy	eCLE
endoscopic full-thickness resection	EFTR
endoscopic mucosal resection	EMR
endoscopic resection	ER
endoscopic retrograde cholangiography	ERC
endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography	ERCP
endoscopic retrograde pancreatography	ERP
endoscopic sphincterotomy	ES
endoscopic submucosal dissection	ESD
endoscopic ultrasound or endoscopic ultrasonography	EUS
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay	ELISA
eosinophilic esophagitis	EoE
erythrocyte sedimentation rate	ESR
esophageal adenocarcinoma	EAC
esophageal introitus	Replace by upper esophageal sphincter (UES)
esophageal peroral endoscopic myotomy	ePOEM
esophageal squamous cell carcinoma	ESCC
esophagogastric junction	EGJ
esophagogastroduodenoscopy	EGD
EUS-directed transgastric ERCP	EDGE
EUS-guided biliary drainage	EUS-BD
EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration	EUS-FNA
EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy	EUS-FNB
EUS-guided gallbladder drainage	EUS-GBD
EUS-guided gastroenterostomy	EUS-GE
EUS-guided tissue acquisition	EUS-TA
extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy	ESWL
familial adenomatous polyposis	FAP
fecal immunochemical test	FIT
fecal occult blood test	FOBT
fine-needle aspiration	FNA
fine-needle biopsy	FNB
first-degree relative	FDR
flexible sigmoidoscopy	Use sigmoidoscopy; write in full
flexible spectral imaging color enhancement	FICE
fluorescence in situ hybridization	FISH
fluorodeoxyglucose	FDG
fully covered self-expandable metal stent	FCSEMS
gastric intestinal metaplasia	GIM
gastric outlet obstruction	GOO
Gastric Outlet Obstruction Scoring System	GOOSS
gastroesophageal junction	GEJ
gastroesophageal reflux disease	GERD
gastrointestinal	GI
GI stromal tumor	GIST
hazard ratio	HR
Helicobacter pylori	Hp
hematoxylin and eosin	H&E
hepatic abscess	Write in full
hepaticogastrostomy	HGS
hepaticojejunostomy	HJS
hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer [or use Lynch syndrome]	HNPCC
high definition	HD
high grade dysplasia	HGD
high grade intraepithelial neoplasia	HGIN
high resolution manometry	HRM
hyperplastic polyp	HPP
image-enhanced endoscopy	IEE
immunoglobulin	Ig
infected pancreatic necrosis	IPN
inflammatory bowel disease	IBD
intention-to-treat	ITT
international normalized ratio	INR
interquartile range	IQR
intestinal metaplasia	IM
intraductal cholangioscopy	IDC
intraductal pancreatoscopy	IDP
intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm	IPMN
intraductal ultrasonography	IDUS
intramucosal	Write in full
intramuscular	Write in full
irritable bowel syndrome	IBS
laparoscopic and endoscopic [luminal] combined surgery	LECS
laparoscopy-assisted ERCP	LA-ERCP
laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy	LIFS
laterally spreading lesion	LSL
likelihood ratio	LR
lower esophageal sphincter	LES
lower GI bleeding	LGIB
low grade dysplasia	LGD
low grade intraepithial neoplasia	LGIN
lumen-apposing metal stent	LAMS
lymph node	LN
lymph node metastasis	LNM
magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography	MRCP
magnetic resonance enterography	MRE
magnetic resonance imaging	MRI
mean adenomas per procedure	MAP
metabolic syndrome	Write in full
mucinous cystic neoplasm	MCN
mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue	MALT
mucosal vascular pattern	MVP
narrow-band imaging	NBI
nasogastric	Write in full
nasogastric tube	NGT
natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery	NOTES
necrotizing pancreatitis	Write in full
needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy	nCLE
negative predictive value	NPV
neuroendocrine tumor	NET
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug	NSAID
normal saline solution	NSS
novel oral anticoagulant	NOAC
number needed to treat	NNT
obscure GI bleeding	OGIB
odds ratio	OR
open gastrojejunostomy	OGJ
open-access endoscopy	OAE
oral sodium sulfate	OSS
orthotopic liver transplantation	OLT
over-the-scope	OTS
pancreatic duct	PD
pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma	PDAC
pancreatic fluid collection	PFC
pancreatic pseudocyst	PPC
pancreatic stent placement	PSP
partially covered self-expandable metal stent	PCSEMS
patient/population–intervention–comparison–outcome	PICO
peptic ulcer disease	PUD
percutaneous drainage	PCD
percutaneous endoscopic gastrojejunostomy	PEG-J
percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy	PEG
percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy	PEJ
percutaneous endoscopic necrosectomy	PEN
percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage	PTBD
peroral endoscopic myotomy	POEM
peroral pancreatoscopy	POPS
per-rectal endoscopic myotomy	PREM
photodynamic therapy	PDT
polyethylene glycol	Write in full
polyglycolic acid	PGA
polymerase chain reaction	PCR
polyp detection rate	PDR
positive predictive value	PPV
positron emission tomography	PET
post-ERCP pancreatitis	PEP
Preservation and Incorporation of Valuable Endoscopic Innovations	PIVI
primary sclerosing cholangitis	PSC
probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy	pCLE
proton pump inhibitor	PPI
quality of life	QoL
radiofrequency ablation	RFA
randomized controlled trial	RCT
rapid on-site evaluation	ROSE
receiver operating characteristic	ROC
rectal telangiectasia density	Write in full
region of interest	ROI
relative risk or risk ratio	RR
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass	RYGB
screening colonoscopy	Write in full
self-expandable metal stent	SEMS
serious adverse event	SAE
serous cystic neoplasm	SCN
sessile serrated lesion with/without dysplasia	SSL with/without dysplasia
single-balloon enteroscopy	SBE
single-operator cholangioscopy	SOC
small bowel	Write in full
small-bowel capsule endoscopy	SBCE
solid pseudopapillary neoplasm	SPN
spastic esophageal disorder	SED
sphincter of Oddi dysfunction	SOD
sphincter of Oddi manometry	SOM
squamous cell carcinoma	SCC
standard deviation	SD [no need to expand]
standard error	SE [no need to expand]
standard error of the mean	SEM [no need to expand]
standardized incidence ratio	SIR
submucosal	Write in full
submucosal fluid cushion	Write in full
submucosal gland	SMG
submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection	STER
systemic inflammatory response syndrome	SIRS
through-the-scope	TTS
total radiation dose	TRD
tracheoesophageal fistula	TEF
traditional serrated adenoma	TSA
transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt	TIPS
ulcerative colitis	UC
uncovered self-expandable metal stent	USEMS
underwater EMR	UEMR
upper esophageal sphincter	UES
upper GI bleeding	UGIB
video capsule endoscopy	VCE
visual analog scale	VAS
volatile organic compound	VOC
walled-off necrosis	WON
walled-off pancreatic necrosis	Use WON
water exchange	Write in full
water immersion	Write in full
white-light colonoscopy	WLC
white-light endoscopy	WLE
white-light imaging	WLI
wire-guided cannulation	WGC
Zenker’s diverticulum peroral endoscopic myotomy	zPOEM
Brand name	Abbreviation
Barrx-HALO radiofrequency ablation method	RFA-HALO
DualKnife	Write in full
Hemoclip	Replace with hemostatic clip
Hemospray	Replace with hemostatic spray
HybridKnife	Write in full
i-SCAN digital contrast	I-SCAN
OTSC	Replace with OTS clip
SpyGlass, SpyProbe, SpyBite cholangioscopy system	Replace with intraductal cholangioscopy (IDC) Also may be digital single-operator cholangioscopy (dSOC)
WavSTAT	Replace with laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS)

Note: A lower-case “s” is added for plurals; e. g. “self-expandable metal stents” is “SEMSs.”

Publication History

Article published online:
29 October 2021

• References

• 1 Bowman DE, Hamilton-Gibbs H, Wallace MB. et al. Endoscopic abbreviations. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 2016; 84: 553-556
• 2 Bowman DE, Hamilton-Gibbs H, Wallace MB. et al. Endoscopic abbreviations. Endoscopy 2016; 48: 876-878