The esophagus remains somewhat of a mystery to gastroenterologists, particularly regarding the treatment of Barrett’s esophagus, a cellular change in the lining of the esophagus caused by chronic injury due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Barrett’s is potentially a precursor to deadly esophageal cancer. But the progression from Barrett’s to cancer can be slow or even stalled. Physicians can’t be certain which patients will become the sickest, so protocol requires regular endoscopic screening with white-light probes and many biopsies taken from the esophageal wall to determine whether the disease is progressing.
Imaging companies and researchers have worked to lift the veil a bit. A report by Charles J. Lightdale, MD, a gastroenterologist with Columbia University and [New York-Presbyterian Hospital ], notes that high-resolution white-light endoscopy and digital chromoendoscopy provide clear images of the surface of the esophageal wall. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) can capture images from below the surface, but not with the resolution necessary to detect layers of dysplasia or cancer. Another imaging technology, Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) can get clear pictures from beneath the surface