Short segments of Barrett’s epithelium and intestinal metaplasia in normal appearing oesophagogastric junctions: the same or two different entities?

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Abstract
Background—Endoscopic diagnosis of short segments of Barrett’s epithelium (SSBE) is difficult and its meaning in terms of the presence of specialised columnar epithelium (SCE) has not been prospectively evaluated. Aims—To evaluate the prevalence of SCE in patients with an endoscopic diagnosis of SSBE and in individuals with normal appearing oesophagogastric junctions, and to compare the clinical characteristics of these two groups. Patients—Thirty one patients with an endoscopic diagnosis of short Barrett’s oesophagus, less than 3 cm in length (group A), and 44 consecutive patients with normal appearing oesophagogastric junctions (group B). Methods—Multiple biopsies were performed in suspicious epithelium and at the oesophagogastric junction in groups A and B, respectively. Results—Age and sex distribution were similar in both groups. Reflux symptoms were more frequent in group A (pConclusions—These results show that endoscopic diagnosis of SSBE is associated with a high prevalence of SCE, significantly higher than that found in normal appearing oesophagogastric junctions. Differences between patients with SCE in the two groups suggest they may represent two different entities.