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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2026; 32(30): 119177
Published online Aug 14, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119177
Published online Aug 14, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119177
Endoscopic diagnosis of non-erosive reflux disease
Wen-Ting Zhang, Min Xu, Ying Zheng, Yi-Jun Zheng, Jia Wei, Tong Kang, Jiong Jiang, Yan Cheng, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders, Shaanxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Gastrointestinal Diseases, Digestive Disease Quality Control Center of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China
Jie Wu, Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Jiong Jiang and Yan Cheng.
Author contributions: Zhang WT wrote the original draft; Zhang WT, Zheng YJ, Wei J, and Kang T performed literature analysis; Zhang WT, Jiang J, and Cheng Y designed the research; Xu M and Zheng Y performed image acquisition; Wu J, Jiang J, and Cheng Y reviewed and edited the manuscript; Jiang J and Cheng Y supervised the study, contributed equally to this work as co-corresponding authors; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
AI contribution statement: Grammarly and DeepSeek were used for language polishing, and DeepL was used for translation. The main text and the response to reviewers are not AI-generated. All scientific content, analysis, and conclusions are original work of the authors.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Corresponding author: Yan Cheng, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders, Shaanxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Gastrointestinal Diseases, Digestive Disease Quality Control Center of Shaanxi Province, No. 3 Jiandong Street, Beilin District, Xi’an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China.
Received: January 21, 2026
Revised: March 9, 2026
Accepted: May 22, 2026
Published online: August 14, 2026
Processing time: 183 Days and 22.3 Hours
Revised: March 9, 2026
Accepted: May 22, 2026
Published online: August 14, 2026
Processing time: 183 Days and 22.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This mini-review emphasizes the importance of advanced endoscopic imaging for detecting subtle microstructural changes in the diagnosis of non-erosive reflux disease. We evaluate the diagnostic validity of these findings and propose a practical clinical framework. Looking forward, we highlight the emerging potential of artificial intelligence for automated analysis of imaging data. We also advocate the development of integrative, multimodal diagnostic strategies combining symptom questionnaires, endoscopic methods, functional measures, and clinical biomarkers to enhance non-erosive reflux disease management.