11.1 Introduction Barrett’s esophagus (BE) occurs when an abnormal, intestinal-type epithelium called “specialized intestinal metaplasia” replaces the stratified squamous epithelium that normally lines the distal esophagus. The condition develops as a consequence of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease and predisposes to…
10.1 Introduction A general outline of this chapter includes a brief background followed by historical trends of endoscopic ablation (with the exception of radiofrequency ablation and cryospray ablation, which are covered in chapter 11, chapter 12 : Radiofrequency Ablation and…
9.1 Introduction Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is associated with the risk of development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Current surveillance according to the Seattle protocol includes white light endoscopy (WLE) with the collection of random four-quadrant biopsy specimens over every 1–2 cm of…
8.1 Introduction Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical analog of ultrasound imaging that was invented in the early 1990s . OCT fills a resolution gap between confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) and ultrasound, affording the capability of visualizing architectural microscopic…
7.1 Introduction The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is increasing more rapidly than any other type of carcinoma in the United States . Almost 100% of cases occur in patients with Barrett’s esophagus (BE) , a benign condition in…
6.1 Overview Five decades after the British surgeon Norman Barrett first described the condition that bears his name, the true incidence of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) in the general population and the risk of progression to cancer continue to be areas…
5.1 Introduction In 1950, Norman Barrett wrote the paper entitled “Chronic peptic ulcer of the oesophagus and ‘oesophagitis’” where he described a case in which a portion of the stomach was noted to be within the chest . It was…
4.1 Introduction Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is the premalignant lesion for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC): a malignancy with a very poor prognosis. The progression of BE from benign columnar-lined epithelium (CLE) to adenocarcinoma often occurs through a series of dysplastic stages termed…
3.1 Introduction Barrett’s esophagus (BE) occurs in the setting of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It is characterized by conversion of the normal esophageal squamous epithelium into metaplastic columnar epithelium . Since its original description by Tileston et al. there…
2.1 Introduction The first description of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is attributed to Sir Norman Barrett in 1950 who reported ulcerations in the tubular segment of stomach that had been tethered within the chest by a congenitally short esophagus . By…