Synonyms
Barrett’s metaplasia; Esophageal columnar metaplasia
Definition
Barrett’s esophagus (BE) results from the metaplastic replacement of the normal squamous esophageal lining by a columnar epithelium. Currently, there are two distinct definitions of BE stating two different proposals of patient’s management. The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) defines BE as “the condition in which any extent of metaplastic columnar epithelium that predisposes to cancer development replaces the stratified squamous epithelium that normally lines the distal esophagus.” Currently, the AGA understanding is that “intestinal metaplasia is required for the diagnosis of Barrett’s esophagus because intestinal metaplasia is the only type of esophageal columnar epithelium that clearly predisposes to malignancy” (The AGA Institute Medical Position Panel 2011). The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG), on the other hand, defines BE as “an endoscopically apparent area above the...
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Dias Pereira, A., & Chaves, P. (2012). Columnar-lined oesophagus without intestinal metaplasia: Results from a cohort with a mean follow-up of 7 years. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 36, 282–289.
Goldblum, J. R. (2003). Barrett’s esophagus and Barrett’s-related dysplasia. Modern Pathology, 16, 316–324.
Hahn, H. P., Blount, P. L., Ayub, K., Das, K. M., Souza, R., Spechler, J. S., & Odze, R. D. (2009). Intestinal differentiation in metaplastic, nongoblet columnar epithelium in the esophagus. The American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 33, 1006–1015.
Nurgalieva, Z., Lowrey, A., & El-Serag, H. B. (2007). The use of cytokeratin stain to distinguish Barrett’s esophagus from contiguous tissues: A systematic review. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 52, 1345–1354.
Playford, R. J. (2006). New British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Barrett’s oesophagus. Gut, 55, 442–443.
The AGA Institute Medical Position Panel. (2011). American gastroenterological association medical position statement on the management of Barrett’s esophagus. Gastroenterology, 140, 1084–1091.
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Chaves, P., Pereira, A.D. (2017). Barrett’s Esophagus. In: Carneiro, F., Chaves, P., Ensari, A. (eds) Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1564
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1564
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