Confocal laser endomicroscopy in gastrointestinal diseases
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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy of the Urinary Tract: The Technique
Published on: January 10, 2013
Martin Goetz1, Alastair Watson, Ralf Kiesslich
1Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
Abstract:
Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a novel endoscopic technique permitting in vivo microscopy (optical biopsies) of the gastrointestinal mucosa. CLE has been studied in a multitude of diseases of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, including Barrett's esophagus, gastric inflammation and cancer, celiac disease, colorectal adenoma and carcinoma, and inflammatory bowel diseases. CLE has recently evolved and been studied for bile duct and liver imaging. CLE has shown overall high accuracy and enabled smart, targeted biopsies rather than untargeted sampling. Furthermore, the availability of real time microscopic information during endoscopy has immediate impact on therapeutic decisions and guides endoscopic interventions. CLE is also a unique tool for observation of (patho-)physiologic events in their natural environment (functional imaging) and has been linked to molecular imaging of gastrointestinal neoplasia in vivo, thereby broadening our understanding of mucosal pathology in clinical and basic science.
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