Related Experiment Videos
The columnar-lined esophagus. History, terminology, and clinical issues
1Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, USA.
Gastroenterology Clinics of North America
|October 6, 1997
Abstract:
Recently, there has been intense controversy regarding diagnostic criteria for Barrett's esophagus. Some authorities have defined the condition according to an arbitrary extent of esophageal columnar lining, whereas others have felt that the presence of specialized intestinal metaplasia anywhere in the esophagus establishes the diagnosis. This article discusses the problems that arise when either of these diagnostic approaches are used and proposes an alternative classification system for the columnar-lined esophagus.