Advanced Pathology and Diagnostics in Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases 2025

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 743

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Pathology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: liver disease; pathology; gastroenterology; hepatology; genitourinary pathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, there have been significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of various gastrointestinal and liver diseases, such as colorectal cancer. However, there are also many diseases that have not made significant progress and remain stagnant. This new Special Issue, focusing on advanced pathology and diagnostics in gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases, aims to compile research and review articles on several fields of gastroenterology and hepatology. We invite research on diagnostic methodology, pathological basis, theranostics, novel therapeutic, prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers, and other related topics of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases. Articles related to emerging artificial-intelligence-assisted diagnostics are also strongly encouraged. The artificial-intelligence-assisted tools may include, but are not limited to, medical imaging, digital pathology, endoscopic image, and artificial intelligence algorithms. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. I-Wei Chang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • diagnosis
  • screening
  • marker
  • prognosis
  • machine learning
  • gastroenterology
  • hepatology
  • pathology
  • theranostics
  • endoscopic image

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

18 pages, 3512 KiB  
Review
The Effectiveness of Transabdominal Ultrasonography in Managing Chronic Constipation in the Elderly, with a Focus on the Underlying Pathological Conditions
by Noriaki Manabe, Minoru Fujita and Ken Haruma
Diagnostics 2025, 15(4), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15040476 - 16 Feb 2025
Viewed by 653
Abstract
Chronic constipation is more common in the elderly and associated with numerous diseases. For the diagnosis of chronic constipation in the elderly, it is essential to exclude constipation secondary to colorectal cancer or other causes. Chronic constipation in the elderly also often requires [...] Read more.
Chronic constipation is more common in the elderly and associated with numerous diseases. For the diagnosis of chronic constipation in the elderly, it is essential to exclude constipation secondary to colorectal cancer or other causes. Chronic constipation in the elderly also often requires lifestyle modifications, as well as drug treatments because of the involvement of pathologies such as reduced colonic transport capacity and rectal hyposensitivity. Therefore, it is extremely important to evaluate the pathophysiology of both the colon and the rectum. Transabdominal ultrasonography (TUS) is a key technique for providing comprehensive medical care and allows simultaneous functional assessment and exclusion of organic diseases related to constipation such as colorectal cancer. Although several studies have reported the clinical utility of TUS for chronic constipation, which includes its simplicity, noninvasiveness, and low cost, the majority were in children. Thus, there are limited studies in adults. Herein, we review the utility of TUS for indirect assessment of colonic transit time using several TUS parameters that can be applied clinically, as well as treatment options for chronic constipation. The constipation index (i.e., mean transverse diameter of the colon), assessed by TUS, is a useful indirect indicator of colonic transit time. If the constipation index is <21.2, increased fiber or treatment with osmotic agents should be used. If the constipation index is ≥21.2, then the ratio of the left to the right lateral colonic diameters should be evaluated. If this value is ≥0.5, a secretagogue or bile acid transporter inhibitor should be administered. It is noteworthy that nursing care is becoming increasingly important in Japan’s super-aging society. A significant proportion of nursing care is provided to patients with chronic constipation, a cohort that is predicted to grow in the future. In these patients, fecal masses often remain in the rectum, which may require an enema or stool extraction. Therefore, it is important to assess both the presence of feces in the rectum and the consistency of the feces. Recently, portable ultrasound (US) devices equipped with artificial intelligence have been developed and used clinically for treatment of patients with chronic constipation in nursing care. Rectal findings using portable US devices can aid in selecting appropriate constipation treatments. Thus, portable US will likely become increasingly important as a next-generation examination device in nursing care. TUS (including portable US) is noninvasive, simple, and repeatable and will become a fundamental modality in the management of chronic constipation. Full article
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