The 18th United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW), held in Barcelona in October 2010, marked a return to the traditional "stand-alone" UEGW meeting after the previous year's combined congress format of GASTRO 2009. Various abstracts on endoscopic subjects were presented, providing a unique opportunity for those interested in gastrointestinal endoscopy to not only become acquainted with the latest advancements and research in the field, but also to meet and exchange experiences with colleagues from all over the world. This report will focus mainly on oral presentations, with a few selected poster presentations, which will be reviewed briefly in the context of recent literature in the respective fields of gastrointestinal endoscopy.