Postgraduate Teaching (PGT) 

Faecal incontinence
•    Pathophysiology
•    Diagnostic work-up and differential diagnosis
•    Therapeutic management: conservative, pharmacological, behavioural and surgical modalities

Acute Diarrhoea
•    Diagnostic work-up, differential diagnosis and management of patients with acute diarrhoea
•    Clostridium difficile: first-line management and recurrent infections
•    Faecal transplantation: indications and modalities

IBS
•    Diagnosis of IBS: what is the optimal work-up? 
•    Medical treatment options, including pharmacological management, according to the clinical presentation (IBS-C, IBS-D, IBS-M)
•    Dietary management 
•    Psychosocial management
•    Overlap syndromes

Screening of colorectal cancer and multidisciplinary treatment of early colorectal cancer
•    Screening strategies according to risk stratification (FIT, Age range, FIT interval, FIT cut-off, Colonoscopy for FH+)
•    Endoscopic detection, characterisation and reporting (Advanced Imaging, HP vs adenoma vs SSL, Early vs deep cancer, Artificial Intelligence)
•    Therapeutic management early cancer: from endoscopy to surgery
•    ESD vs TEM

Chronic diarrhoea 
•    Evaluation, differential diagnosis of chronic diarrhoea, including microscopic colitis, malab-sorption, bile acid diarrhoea, etc.
•    Diagnostic work-up
•    Therapeutic management

Colorectal cancer: Staging, surgery and adjuvant therapies 
•    Staging and the role of the multidisciplinary team (including guidelines)
•    Evidence-based surgical management with curative intent, including ERAS, etc.
•    Surgery for colorectal liver metastases 
•    Neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies for colon and rectal cancer

Hereditary GI syndromes
•    Presentation and management of
o    Gastric familial syndrome
o    Pancreaticobiliary familial syndrome
o    Colorectal familial syndrome

Immunotherapy and targeted therapies
•    Pathophysiology of Immunotherapy
•    Indications of Immunotheray (colon cancer, colorectal cancer)
•    Sideeffects of immunotherapy and treatment regimens (current guidelines)
•    Molecular diagnostics and derived treatment options

Acute and chronic bowel ischaemia
•    Clinical assessment
•    Diagnostic workup
•    Management

Advanced colorectal cancer 
•    How to approach metastatic CRC: Systemic therapy vs surgery
•    Role of chemotherapy in metastatic colon and rectal cancer with emphasis on precision ther-apy
•    Other aspects of palliation: biliary and colonic stenting (maybe debate)

Constipation 
•    Diagnostic work-up depending on age and symptoms
•    Role of diet, physical activity, fluid intake etc.
•    Pharmacological treatment
•    Biofeedback and other behavioural treatment 
•    Indications for surgery

Diverticular disease
•    Classification and pathogenesis
•    Diagnostic work-up and differential diagnosis 
•    Role of imaging and endoscopy in diverticular disease management
•    Management 

Proctology
•    Identification and management of common proctological problems, including haemorrhoids, fissures and pruritus anis
•    Defaecatory disorders 

Management of abdominal emergencies 
•    Overview of potential causes of the acute abdomen (non-surgical and surgical)
•    Clinical assessment, laboratory and imaging diagnostic tools
•    Initial therapeutic management of the acute abdomen
•    Novel areas of development and innovations 

Advanced diagnostic endoscopy
•    Advanced Imaging (dye-spray/virtual-chromo, high-definition, AI) for surveillance for high-risk conditions (Ulcerative colitis/Lynch syndromes/Barrett esophagus/High-risk of gastric cancer)
•    Cholangioscopy  (Cholangiocarcinoma)
•    Enhancing EUS: elastography, sonoview and endo-microscopy
•    Pancreatic cancer

Biliary structures
•    Differential diagnosis of biliary strictures: clinical assessment, laboratory tests, imaging tech-niques and tissue acquisition
•    The role of endoscopy and surgery in the management of malignant biliary strictures
•    Cholangioscopy

Video Case Sessions 

Endoscopic management of pancreatic diseases
•    Endoscopic management of hilar and distal biliary strictures, including diagnosis with cholan-gioscopy and treatment with stenting
•    Endoscopic management of strictures and stones in patients with chronic pancreatitis
•    EUS + EHL/Laser

Endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of lower-GI bleeding, small bowel diseases, IBD, and ad-vanced GI-cancer
•    Diagnosis and therapeutic management in small bowel disease, including indications and modalities for deep enteroscopy, as well as management for suspected small bowel bleeding and polyp resection
•    Endoscopic management of patients with IBD: colon cancer surveillance, polyp and stricture management
•    Endoscopic management of GI strictures (oesophageal, duodenal and colon: dilation and stent insertion)

Advanced therapeutic endoscopic techniques 
•    ERCP including cholangioscopy
•    Overview on EUS-guided therapeutic procedures

Video Case Sessions 

GI bleeding and endoscopic therapy of endoscopic and surgical complications
•    Diagnostic and therapeutic management for lower GI bleeding, including timing and modali-ties for endoscopic treatment
•    Overall and endoscopic management of patients with variceal bleeding
•    Overall and endoscopic management of patients with non-variceal bleeding
•    Haemostatic techniques in variceal and non-variceal bleeding
•    Endoscopic management of endoscopic complications (perforations) and surgical complica-tions 

Polypectomy and removal duodenal lesions
•    Characterisation and resection techniques of colorectal polyps
•    Ampullectomy 
•    EMR, ESD and full thickness resection: technical modalities and indications

Quality in endoscopic practice 
•    Understanding the importance of establishing quality measurements in endoscopy and its relationship with postendoscopic cancer (Upper and Lower GI endoscopy)
•    Overview of the different quality measurements in biliopancreatic endoscopy
•    How to set up a safe and efficient endoscopic service
•    Training and quality in emergency care

Video Case Sessions 

Biliary cannulation, sphincterotomy/precut, biliary stone disease and ERCP in altered anatomy
•    Biliary cannulation: papillary and ductal anatomy, cannulation techniques, including device, guidewire/contrast use, double guidewire
•    EUS assisted biliopancreatic duct access
•    Biliary disease: diagnosis, standard and advanced techniques
•    ERCP in altered anatomy: identification of the desired loop and cannulation techniques in patients with altered anatomy

Endoscopic diagnosis and management of upper GI neoplasia
•    Barrett's oesophagus and associated neoplasia: characterisation of Barrett’s and visible le-sions, resection techniques (EMR, ESD) and ablation techniques (RFA and Cryo)

Difficult to treat IBD
•    How to define treatment failure and refractory IBD
•    Infectious complications to consider
•    Therapeutic options in patients failing biological agents
•    Sequence of therapies
•    The role of surgery in refractory cases
•    Genetically determined IBD and IBD like syndromes

Early management of IBD
•    Differential diagnosis of the patient with chronic diarrhoea
•    Diagnostic work-up and use of laboratory tests, imaging and endoscopy
•    Therapeutic management in early stages 
•    Lifestyle interventions  

Extraintestinal manifestations of IBD
•    Epidemiology of extra-intestinal manifestations of IBD (PSC, skin, joints)
•    Clinical manifestations and diagnostic strategy
•    Therapeutic considerations with relation to IBD

Cancer and IBD 
•    Pathophysiology of link between chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis
•    Surveillance schemes in patient with IBD according to risk factors
•    How to manage findings: surgery and endoscopy
•    Chemotherapy in immune suppressed IBD patients

Management of Crohn's disease
•    Medical treatment algorithms
•    Objective measures for treatment and the role of complete mucosal healing
•    Interdisciplinary approach for perianal fistula
•    Indication of Surgery and pre-operative and post-operative management of CD patients
•    Emerging treatments and precision medicine

Management of ulcerative colitis: The acute patient 
•    The hospitalised patient with acute colitis: differential diagnosis
•    Medical management of ulcerative colitis
•    Surgery: timing, types, outcome determining factors
•    Emerging treatments and precision medicine

Optimisation of drug therapy in IBD
•    Modalities of therapeutic drug monitoring of biologics
•    Combinatorial use of biologics: Risks and benefits
•    How to personalize treatments
•    Biomarker driven therapy, mucosal healing
•    STRIDE and top up
•    Prevention and management of drug-related complications
•    Drug therapy during pregnancy 

Management of ulcerative colitis (UC)
•    Standard therapeutic management of patients with UC
•    The optimal use of 5-ASA therapy and thiopurines: Is there still a role in UC and for whom?
•    Management of UC and PSC
•    Anti-TNF, anti-Il12/anti-IL23, anti-integrins and JAK inhibitors: mechanisms and optimal use in UC and the use of newer pharmacological agents
•    When should surgery be considered in UC?

Monitoring of disease activity in IBD
•    Objective measures of disease activity
•    Ultrasound, MRI capsule endoscopy and endoscopy 
•    Biochemical markers 
•    Long-term complications of IBD

Longterm side effects and complications of immunomodulators
•    Optimizing Thiopurin-Therapy (principles of drug monitoring, genetic testing, duration of treatment)
•    Choosing the right immune modulator in eldery
•    How to prevent and treat neoplastic complications?
•    When and how to exit immune modulation?
•    Management of Infections during immune suppression 
•    Management of Drug-induced side effects
•    Immunemodulation in pregnancy

Assessment of liver function
•    When to assess liver function
•    What methods are available for liver function assessment
•    How to predict and prevent liver failure prior to major surgery 

Diagnostic work-up of a liver nodule
•    Differential diagnosis of liver nodules in the non-cirrhotic and cirrhotic liver
•    Diagnostic management: imaging modalities and when to obtain tissue
•    Therapeutic management: surveillance or treatment (except HCC)

NAFLD and NASH
•    Epidemiological concerns regarding NAFLD/NASH
•    How to differentiate from alcohol-related liver disease?
•    Relationship with the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases
•    Risk stratification and evaluation of fibrosis
•    Therapeutic management 

Viral hepatitis
•    The changing epidemiology of viral hepatitis
•    Diagnostic modalities for viral hepatitis
•    Therapeutic management
•    Long-term complications
•    HCV elimination: strategies, micro-elimination and possible target groups

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 
•    Diagnostic modalities and differential diagnosis
•    Staging and classifications
•    Treatment algorithms and the role of liver transplantation

Liver and pregnancy 
•    Overview of specific liver diseases in pregnancy, according to birth term.
•    Other liver diseases diagnosed during pregnancy
•    Management of liver diseases, including when to terminate pregnancy

Metabolic and vascular disorders of the liver 
•    Overview of metabolic disorders: diagnosis and therapy 
•    The place of genetic evaluation in diagnostic work up
•    Vascular disorders of the liver: diagnostic work up
•    Management of vascular disorders: the role of anticoagulation, TIPS and liver transplantation

Alcohol- and autoimmune-related liver disease
•    Epidemiology 
•    Diagnosis and treatment 
•    Indications for liver transplantation
•    Management of alcohol dependence

Complications of cirrhosis and liver cancer
•    Ascites: Diagnostic and therapeutic approach
•    ACLF management
•    Diagnosis and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy
•    Nutrition and cirrhosis
•    Management of portal hypertension and its complications
•    Liver cancer

Fulminant hepatitis, liver failure and liver transplantation
•    Diagnosis of fulminant liver failure, including differential diagnosis
•    Diagnostic work up for suspected drug induced liver injury (DILI)
•    Medical management
•    Transplantation and acute liver failure

Deranged coagulation system
•    Understanding impaired coagulation in the presence of liver disease
•    Understanding genetic causes of impaired coagulation and how to handle them
•    Therapeutic anticoagulation – pitfalls in the background of liver disease

Benign causes of oesophageal dysphagia
•    Clinical presentation and differential diagnosis of dysphagia
•    Diagnostic work-up
•    Therapeutic management of benign oesophageal dysphagia (achalasia, eosinophilic oesoph-agitis, oesophageal motility disorders etc.)

Management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
•    Pathophysiology and diagnostic classification
•    Appropriate use of different diagnostic modalities (pH-metry, pH-impedance etc.)
•    Pharmacological therapy
•    Non-pharmacological therapy, including endoscopic procedures and surgery

Barrett’s oesophagus 
•    Epidemiology, aetiology and the risk of cancer
•    Diagnosis and classification
•    Surveillance schemes according to risk
•    Chemoprevention
•    Endoscopic management

Non-cardiac chest pain 
•    Clinical presentation and differential diagnosis 
•    Diagnostic work-up
•    Pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy

Squamous cell oesophageal cancer
•    Diagnosis and classification of early oesophageal cancer and staging
•    Management of early oesophageal cancer
•    Review the role of systemic therapy

Swallowing disorders: oropharyngeal dysphagia
•    Causes of oropharyngeal dysphagia, including cricopharyngeal bar and Zenker diverticulum
•    Diagnostic work-up
•    Treatment 

Diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition
•    Definition and criteria of malnutrition, cachexia and sarcopenia particularly the difference be-tween these three in clinical practice
•    Tools for assessment and identifying patients at risk screening for malnutrition + clinical tools for sarcopenia
•    Artificial nutrition (enteral and parenteral): indications and modalities of administration when to use enteral vs. PN, including associated complications/risks in guiding decisions
•    Ethical considerations regarding artificial nutrition when to use en or not (e.g. advanced de-mentia). Role of PN in palliative advanced cancer

Chronic intestinal failure
•    Causes and epidemiology of chronic intestinal failure
•    Short and long-term complications of chronic intestinal failure
•    Management of chronic intestinal failure: home parenteral nutrition and beyond (including en-tero-hormonal therapy and transplantation)

Malabsorption
•    Mechanisms of nutrient absorption and pathophysiology of malabsorption and the effect of gut microbes on nutrient absorption
•    Clinical features and differential diagnosis of the underlying diseases
•    Therapeutic management

Diabetes in GI Disorders
•    Metabolic syndrome, NAFLD – treatment options
•    Type 3 diabetes – etiology and treatment options
•    Bariatric interventions and effect on glucose homeastasis

Eating disorders and unexplained weight loss 
•    Diagnostic work-up for patients with unexplained weight loss because of reduced oral intake
•    Differentiating between organic causes and food-intake behavioural problems
•    Therapeutic multimodal management

Complications in nutrition and how to avoid them, including the role of nutrition support teams
•    Prevention and treatment of the refeeding syndrome, including the hospitalised patient with anorexia nervosa
•    Complications of enteral access insertion (gastrostomy, jejunostomy, etc.) and enteral nutri-tion
•    Complications of home parenteral nutrition

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
•    Diagnostic work-up and pitfalls of available diagnostic modalities
•    Therapeutic management: chemotherapy and surgery, including management of elderly pa-tients
•    Palliation: the role of endoscopy, ultrasound, nutrition and pain management
•    Molecular therapies/precision medicine

Benign diseases of the bile duct
•    Differential diagnosis and therapy: Infectious and autoimmune (IgG4) cholangitis, PBC, PSC and other cholangiopathies
•    Typical symptoms, histology, sensitivity and specificity of serology of autoimmune liver dis-ease
•    Medical management of autoimmune liver diseases
•    Natural course of the disease and possible therapeutic interventions

Chronic pancreatitis
•    Pathophysiological mechanisms, etiological factors and prognostic scores
•    Clinical aspects of chronic pancreatitis, including symptoms and complications
•    Therapeutic management strategy: medical management, endoscopy and surgery

Autoimmune disease of liver and bile ducts 
•    Differential diagnosis and therapy of autoimmune liver disease: AIH, PBC, PSC and other cholangiopathies
•    Typical symptoms, histology, sensitivity and specificity of serology of autoimmune liver dis-ease
•    Alternative diagnosis to exclude
•    Natural course of the disease and possible therapeutic interventions

Biliary stones 
•    Clinical symptoms and imaging modalities for diagnosis of bile stones
•    Managing symptomatic biliary stones, including gallstones and choledocolithiasis
•    Defining indication and timing of EUS, ERCP and cholecystectomy

Cholangiocarcinoma 
•    Diagnosis, classification and staging of cholangiocarcinoma
•    Indications and modalities for surgical resection
•    Indications for pre-operative tissue acquisition and stenting
•    The role of endoscopy and radiology for palliation and their limitations
•    Molecular therapies/precision medicine

Cystic pancreatic lesions 
•    Differential diagnosis of cystic pancreatic lesions and the role of CT, MRI and EUS
•    Natural history of pancreatic cystic lesions and risk of malignant transformation
•    Management of cystic pancreatic lesions and the indications for surgery

Autoimmune pancreatitis 
•    Epidemiology, clinical presentation and subtypes of auto-immune pancreatitis
•    Diagnostic work-up and differential diagnosis with pancreatic cancer
•    Current treatment options
•    lgG4 related disease and associated disorders

Pancreatic and small bowel neuroendocrine tumours 
•    Clinical spectrum of NETs
•    Diagnostic work-up
•    Curative, symptomatic and palliative therapeutic algorithm

Acute pancreatitis: Management and complications
•    Optimal management of acute pancreatitis (antibiotics, hydration, nutrition)
•    Staging of severity 
•    Determination of aetiology
•    Clinical and imaging aspects of pancreatic collections
•    Indications, timing, therapeutic modalities for drainage (surgical, endoscopic, radiological)

Acute and chronic intestinal obstruction
•    Differential diagnosis and investigation of ileus and obstruction
•    Management of ileus and obstruction
•    Management of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and other similar disorders

Small bowel imaging and endoscopy 
•    Overview of available modalities for small bowel imaging: capsule endoscopy, radiology studies, MRI, deep enteroscopy techniques
•    Small bowel related anaemia: how to investigate and how to treat

Coeliac disease 
•    Coeliac disease: epidemiology, diagnosis and therapeutic management
•    How to differentiate between coeliac disease, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, food allergies, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity and IBS
•    Refractory coeliac disease

Dyspepsia and gastroparesis
•    Definition and differential diagnosis
•    Diagnostic workup 
•    Pharmacological, non-pharmacological and endoscopic therapy (for gastroparesis)

Upper GI bleeding
•    Clinical assessment, investigation and therapy for acute upper GI bleeding, including special requirements for elderly patients
•    Management of patients on anticoagulant and anti-platelet therapy, both in the acute situation and before scheduled diagnostic or therapeutic endoscopy

Bariatric interventions
•    Indications and techniques for bariatric interventions and their mechanisms of actions
•    Complications and their management
•    Long-term physiological consequences and metabolic complications

Gastric cancer 
•    Epidemiology, risk factors and screening requirements
•    Diagnostic modalities for early and advanced cancer, including chromoendoscopy, electronic chromoendoscopy and imaging procedures
•    Therapeutic management: endoscopy and surgery

H. pylori and pre-cancerous conditions
•    Epidemiology and consequences of H. pylori infection
•    Available diagnostic modalities and their pitfalls
•    Effects on H. pylori infection on other organs and diseases
•    Eradication schemes and treatment resistance
•    Detection and management of gastric metaplasia
•    Autoimmune gastritis

How to treat itching?
•    Differential diagnosis of pruritus
•    Treatment options
•    Liver specific treatment options – current guidelines

The upcoming topic and learning objectives will be determined annually by the UEG Scientific Committee.

The upcoming topic and learning objectives will be determined annually by the UEG Scientific Committee.