Cervical inlet patch-optical coherence tomography imaging and clinical significance

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Medical Imaging
• Histopathology

Background:

• Cervical inlet patch (CIP) is a congenital anomaly in the upper esophagus.
• Differentiating CIP from other esophageal and gastric conditions can be challenging with standard endoscopy.
• Accurate in situ tissue characterization is crucial for diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of using 3D optical coherence tomography (OCT) for differentiating cervical inlet patch (CIP).
• To compare OCT imaging with standard histology for gastrointestinal (GI) tract morphology.
• To evaluate OCT's potential in distinguishing CIP from normal esophagus, Barrett's esophagus (BE), and normal stomach/duodenum.

Main Methods:

• Endoscopic 3D-OCT imaging was performed using a prototype system through the working channel of an endoscope.
• Simultaneous white light video endoscopy was conducted.
• Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) histology of biopsy specimens was used for validation.

Main Results:

• 3D-OCT clearly visualized microstructures of the esophagus, BE, stomach, and duodenum.
• OCT imaging distinguished the columnar epithelium of CIP from the squamous epithelium of the normal esophagus.
• Observed microstructures with OCT correlated well with H&E histology findings.

Conclusions:

• 3D-OCT enables in situ evaluation of cervical inlet patch (CIP) microstructures.
• This technology shows potential as a tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of CIP.
• OCT facilitates real-time assessment of GI tissue morphology.