Diagnosis of Barrett's Esophagus

ABSTRACT

The diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus generally is based on the endoscopic examination. The findings include columnar epithelium lining the distal esophagus and the presence of specialized intestinal metaplasia in biopsy specimens from that columnar epithelium. However, the diagnostic yield of dysplasia with standard endoscopy is suboptimal. To improve detection of Barrett's esophagus and surveillance for dysplasia and cancer, many new endoscopic techniques including chromoendoscopy, magnification endoscopy, narrow band imaging, autofluorescence endoscopy, optical coherence tomography, and confocal laser endomicroscopy are used. We will review standard endoscopic findings and advanced imaging modalities for Barrett's esophagus.