The future of endoscopic treatment of early Barrett neoplasia: The endoscopist’s view

 

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Introduction

The field of Barrett’s esophagus ablation has come a long way since the original pioneering work of Brandt and Berenson in the early 1990s [1] [2]. In fact, ablation is now viewed as a legitimate first-line treatment option for healthy patients with high grade dysplasia and early adenocarcinoma, based on studies performed to date. Furthermore, the notion of complete ablation of Barrett’s esophagus has moved from concept to reality. That being said, many questions about endoscopic ablation of Barrett’s esophagus remain unanswered. This section will try to address the following issues regarding the endoscopic ablation of Barrett’s esophagus:

Where have we been? Where are we now? What are currently unresolved issues in endoscopic ablation? What are potential solutions for these issues?

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G. W. FalkMD MS 

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Desk A-31
Cleveland Clinic

9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
Ohio 44195, USA

Fax: 01-216-4446302

Email: falkg@ccf.org