title: Gastrointestinal perforations: role of endoscopic closure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Understanding the role of endoscopic closure techniques helps in expanding the endoscopist's role in the management of gastrointestinal neoplasia and explore new frontiers of minimally invasive endoluminal surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This article covers recent advances in endoscopic closure of various gastrointestinal perforations, with a special focus on devices, experimental evidence and clinical outcomes of endoscopic closure of gastrointestinal perforations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endoscopic closure techniques help the endoscopist to walk on thin ice and save himself and the patient in the case of mishap.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Gottumukkala S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Raju
mesh_terms: D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004939:Esophageal Perforation / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000601:surgery*; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000601:surgery*