Barrett's oesophagus Flashcards
What is Barrett’s oesophagus?
Barrett’s oesophagus is a condition seen in patients with long standing gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). It describes when chronic acid exposure leads to a change in the distal oesophagus from the usual squamous epithelium to metaplastic columnar epithelium.
What are complications that are associated with Barrett’s oesophagus?
It is an important condition to identify as it carries a risk of progression to oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
The risk of developing Barrett’s oesophagus increases with the length and severity of reflux symptoms.
How would you classify Barrett’s oesophagus?
Patients with low-grade dysplasia are usually given a high dose PPI and followed up with endoscopic surveillance at six monthly intervals.
Patients with high-grade dysplasia or early adenocarcinoma usually undergo endoscopic resection of the abnormal areas; methods include radiofrequency ablation, photodynamic ablation, or laser. Patients who are fit for surgery may undergo oesophagectomy.
