Dr. Josep Llach

Gastroenterology

Chief of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Senior Consultant of the Gastroenterology Service at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona; Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona, Spain

Spain

Biography Publications Featured in

Biography

Dr. Llach is a renowned specialist in Digestive System. He has more than 30 years of experience in the profession and extensive training in different fields of the specialty. In this sense, he is an expert in diagnostic and therapeutic Digestive Endoscopy, with extensive experience in performing the following procedures: colonoscopy, polypectomy, fibrogastroscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP), capsule endoscopy and enteroscopy. Throughout his career, he has combined his work in healthcare with teaching, being a professor at several universities and having taught many courses in the specialty. On the other hand, he also develops an important divulgation task. He is the author of more than 300 publications in international and national journals, book chapters and has been a guest speaker at more than 200 conferences. In addition to his public activity, Dr. Josep Llach has been working as an independent professional since 1989 as a specialist in Digestive System and in the performance of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures related to Gastroenterology. He practices as a specialist in barnaclinic+.

Publications

Selected publications from PubMed

Mass spectrometry-based proteomics to study gastric carcinogenesis: pathophysiological molecular characterization.

Felípez N, Montori S, Valero A, Santamaría E, Ausin K, Peral E, Llach J, Delgado P, Florez-Diez P, Barreiro E, Arruebo E, Vicente R, Soria M, Huerta A, Ortega SP, Núñez H, Díez P, Herreros A, Hontoria G, Saiz RM, Hernández L, Mangas-Sanjuan C, Patrón O, Hijos-Mallada G, Domper-Arnal MJ, Zarraquiños S, Díez-Martín AI, Gonçalves P, de Frutos D, Santiago J, García A, Martín-Lagos A, Estremera-Arévalo F, Gómez-Alonso M, Cuestas A, Balaguer F, Castellví-Bel S, Fernandez-Esparrach G, Cuatrecasas M, Moreira L, Fernández-Irigoyen J, Albéniz E, EpiGASTRIC EDGAR Consortium

Sci Rep. 2026 Jul 1;16(1) doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-45298-3.

Performance of an artificial intelligence system versus endoscopists for interrogation of scars after piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection.

Ortiz O, Prat R, Soy G, Bofill A, Llach J, Daca-Alvarez M, Balaguer F, Brunori A, Kumari H, Vergara R, Rivero-Sánchez L, Pellisé M

Endosc Int Open. 2026;14:a28407149 doi: 10.1055/a-2840-7149.

Autoimmune Gastritis and Gastric Cancer Risk: Endoscopic and Histopathological Outcomes.

Moreu L, Luzko I, Llach J, Moreira L

J Clin Med. 2026 Mar 24;15(7) doi: 10.3390/jcm15072486.

The role of endoscopic therapies for patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Llach J, Soria A, Graupera I, Cardenas A

Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2026 Mar;20(3):219-231 doi: 10.1080/17474124.2026.2632873.

The OLGIMA system for gastric cancer risk assessment. A useful method based on the histological Sydney consensus.

Delgado Guillena PG, Cuatrecasas M, Montori S, Felipez Varela N, Llach J, Archilla I, Florez-Diez P, Barreiro-Alonso E, Tejedor-Tejada J, Vicente R, Soria MT, Huerta A, Ortega SP, Nuñez H, Patrón O, Mangas C, Zaffalon D, Hernández L, Yip LE, Hontoria G, Hijos G, Domper-Arnal MJ, Zarraquiños S, Herreros De Tejada A, Córdoba A, Cuestas A, Fernández-Esparrach G, Moreira L, Albéniz E, EpiGASTRIC/EDGAR Consortium

Histopathology. 2026 Mar;88(4):911-921 doi: 10.1111/his.70042.

Featured in

4 min

Intragastric balloon as a bridge to bariatric surgery

Case A 48-year-old male with a history of high blood pressure and morbid obesity and a BMI of 53 Kg/m2 was evaluated for surgical treatment of morbid obesity and its comorbidities. No hiatal hernia or mucosal lesions were found in the upper endoscopy. The clo test was negative The abdominal ultrasound revealed an enlarged and steatotic liver. The ASA Score was II. Treatment Performing a RYGBP in a patient with this BMI and an enlarged liver might lead to an increased rate of unexpected injuries or postoperative complications. Performing a sleeve gastrectomy is feasible but in a superobese patient it may require conversion to a BPD-DS due to insufficient weight loss. Using an intragastric balloon plus close follow-up may lead to a BMI decrease and a reduction of the size of the liver, thus making the patient suitable for a Roux en Y Gastric Bypass. The procedure is performed under sedation with the patient in left lateral decubitus and the anesthesiologist supervising the vital signs. An oral protector is placed to keep the mouth open, allowing access to the endoscope and protecting the patient's teeth. First we perform a brief endoscopic evaluation basically to suction all the gastric contents. The balloon is fully collapsed and attached to a tube that serves as a guide to push it down from the mouth to the esophagus and stomach. This maneuver is supervised by means of the endoscope. With the balloon in place the guide is removed. Then a connection is made to fill the balloon with methylene blue diluted in a saline solution. If the balloon bursts, the methylene blue will show in the patient's urine. The three channel connection facilitates this step. By means of the endoscope we ensure that the balloon becomes distended away from the pylorus and the esophagus. This maneuver is repeated several times until a total of 500cc is reached. To finish the procedure, the tube is pulled out detaching it from the balloon, which is left inside the stomach. Outcome This is a simple procedure that took 18 minutes. The patient was discharged the following day with good oral tolerance to diet. Prophylactic antiemetics were given for a week.

Published

Apr 2016

Share this expert

Help your network discover Dr. Josep Llach's clinical expertise.