Global variations in diagnostic guidelines for Barrett's esophagus.

Endoscopic diagnosis of gastroesophageal junction and Barrett's esophagus is essential for surveillance and early detection of esophageal adenocarcinoma and esophagogastric junction cancer. Despite its small size, the gastroesophageal junction has many inherent problems, including marked differences in diagnostic methods for Barrett's esophagus in international guidelines. To define Barrett's esophagus, gastroesophageal junction location should be clarified. Although gastric folds and palisade vessels are landmarks for identifying this junction, they are sometimes difficult to observe due to air entry or reflux esophagitis. The possibility of diagnosing a malignancy associated with Barrett's esophagus <1 cm, identified using palisade vessels, should be re-examined. Nontargeted biopsies of Barrett's esophagus are commonly used to detect intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and cancer as described in the Seattle protocol. Barrett's esophagus with intestinal metaplasia has a high risk of becoming cancerous. Furthermore, the frequency of cancer in patients with Barrett's esophagus without intestinal metaplasia is high, and the guidelines differ on whether to include the presence of intestinal metaplasia in the diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus. Use of advanced imaging technologies, including narrow-band imaging with magnifying endoscopy and linked color imaging, is reportedly valid for diagnosing Barrett's esophagus. Furthermore, artificial intelligence has facilitated the diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus through its deep learning and image recognition capabilities. However, it is necessary to first use the endoscopic definition of the gastroesophageal junction, which is common in all countries, and then elucidate the characteristics of Barrett's esophagus in each region, for example, length differences in the risk of carcinogenesis with and without intestinal metaplasia.

Possible new endoscopic finding in patients with achalasia: "Gingko leaf sign".

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of achalasia can occasionally be difficult because of the low prevalence of apparent endoscopic abnormal findings, such as dilation and food residue, and lack of "esophageal rosette" in some patients. We have found a new endoscopic finding "Gingko leaf sign", which consists of not being able to see the full extent of the esophageal palisade vessels and a Gingko leaf-shaped morphology of a longitudinal section of the esophagogastric junction at the end of a deep inspiration, in some achalasia patients without "esophageal rosette". The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of "Gingko leaf sign" in these patients. METHODS: We retrospectively compared the prevalence of "Gingko leaf sign" between 11 achalasia patients without "esophageal rosette" and 22 age-/gender-matched healthy subjects. The diagnoses of achalasia were based on the results of high-resolution manometry. We also investigated the characteristics of the patients with "Gingko leaf sign". RESULTS: All the patients had "Gingko leaf sign", in contrast to none of the healthy subjects (p < 0.001). Four of 11 patients did not require any therapy. Six of seven patients did not relapse after balloon dilatation, but one patient required per-oral endoscopic myotomy 8 months after balloon dilatation. CONCLUSION: All our achalasia patients without "esophageal rosette" had "Gingko leaf sign". It is possibly a useful endoscopic finding in achalasia patients without "esophageal rosette".

Endoscopic observation of the palisade vessels in Killian-Jamieson diverticulum was useful for diagnosis and surgical treatment: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Killian-Jamieson diverticulum is a rare pharyngoesophageal diverticulum that arises below the cricopharyngeus muscle. Unlike the most common Zenker's diverticulum, which requires cricopharyngeal and esophageal myotomy, diverticulectomy is sufficient for surgical treatment of Killian-Jamieson diverticulum. Thus, accurate preoperative diagnosis is indispensable for avoiding unnecessarily invasive surgery. Here, we report a case of Killian-Jamieson diverticulum in which endoscopic observation of the palisade vessels was useful for diagnosis and intraoperative endoscopy was effective in guiding surgical resection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old woman complained of pharyngeal discomfort and increased coughing and was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of a pharyngoesophageal diverticulum. Contrast esophagography and cervical computed tomography revealed a diverticulum measuring 3 cm in diameter on the left side of the cervix. The diverticulum was identified by endoscopy just below the palisade vessels, which represents the level of the upper esophageal sphincter, and was diagnosed as Killian-Jamieson diverticulum. She underwent diverticulectomy without cricopharyngeal and esophageal myotomy. After exposing the diverticulum under light from the endoscope and washing out the food residue inside endoscopically, the diverticulum was resected using the endoscope as a bougie so as not to narrow the esophagus. The postoperative course was uneventful, and she remains asymptomatic without recurrence or stenosis at 6 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic observation of the palisade vessels in addition to esophagography can help diagnose Killian-Jamieson diverticulum and determine the optimal surgical procedure. Diverticulectomy can be performed intentionally and safely with the aid of intraoperative endoscopy.

Detection of palisade vessels as a landmark for Barrett's esophagus in a Western population.

BACKGROUND: In Japan, palisade vessels (PV) are used to distinguish the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). Elsewhere, the EGJ is defined by the upper end of the gastric folds (GF) and PV are considered difficult to detect. This study evaluated the detection rate of PV in Western patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) using white light imaging (WLI) and narrow band imaging (NBI), and quantified any discordance between Western and Japanese criteria for the EGJ. METHODS: In 25 BE patients, the presence and location of PV and GF were determined and biopsies were obtained. High-quality images of the EGJ were collected under different conditions (insufflations-desufflation, WLI-NBI, forward-retroflex approach), resulting in eight different images per patient. The presence of PV on each still image was assessed by a panel of six Western and Japanese endoscopists with expertise in BE. RESULTS: PV were observed in ≥ 1 images by a majority of the panel (≥ 4 raters) in 100 % of patients during insufflation versus 60 % during desufflation (p < 0.001). WLI and NBI detected PV in 100 and 92 %, respectively (p = 0.50). Interobserver agreement of the panel was 'moderate' (κ = 0.51). During endoscopy PV were located a median of 1 cm distal of the GF in 15 patients (63 %), with intestinal metaplasia (IM) in this discordant zone, in 27 % of patients. CONCLUSIONS: PV are visible in most Western BE patients and are best inspected during insufflation. The location of the GF and PV differed in a substantial group of patients, partially with IM in this discordant zone.