The risks of endoscopy procedures are likely affected by the competence of the endoscopist and the team (nursing, anesthesia, and technicians), the details of the specific procedure being performed, and the patient's anatomy, demographics, and health status. In 2008, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) convened a workshop to recommend a lexicon to define and describe the adverse events (AEs) (previously commonly referred to as complications) that can result from endoscopy procedures. 1 Cotton P.B. Eisen G.M. Aabakken L. et al. A lexicon for endoscopic adverse events: report of an ASGE workshop. Gastrointest Endosc. 2010; 71: 446-454 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1128) Google Scholar One additional goal of this workshop was to standardize the reporting of factors that may predict AEs, in clinical practice and in research. This list of such factors might enable the creation of risk strata (allowing comparison of AE rates by risk groups). In addition, AE rates among different groups of endoscopists and different groups of patients might be more appropriately compared by strata. Last, prospective risk assessment might enhance the quality of informed consent and facilitate decisions regarding procedural appropriateness.