Tethered capsule provides high-quality images for Barrett’s esophagus
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Researchers were able obtain high-quality images of Barrett’s esophagus using tethered capsule endomicroscopy, according to study results.
Guillermo Tearney, MD, PhD, from the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues wrote that the capsule, which uses optical coherence tomography, (OCT-TCE) provides 3D microscopic images of the esophagus for BE.
“OCT-TCE does not require sedation, obtains microscopic images of the entire esophagus, and is a faster and more convenient procedure,” they wrote. “Our group and others have successfully conducted OCT-TCE in pilot, single-center studies showing exemplary images that demonstrate the potential of this technology to improve upper GI tract diagnosis by elevating diagnostic yield, lowering costs and bettering patient tolerance.”
Researchers explored the feasibility and safety of the device in a multicenter study comprising 147 patients with untreated BE. They compared length of BE to endoscopy findings when available, as well as to volumetric laser endomicroscopy images in patients who underwent both imaging procedures on the same day.
Of 147 total patients, 116 swallowed the capsule, including 83.3% of men and 63.6% of women. Investigators were able to obtain high-quality images in 93.7% of individuals who completed the procedure.
In a blinded comparison on maximum extent of BE, Tearney and colleagues found a strong correlation between OCT-TCE and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Additionally, images obtained with OCT-TCE had a similar quality to those obtained by volumetric laser endomicroscopy.
“High quality microscopic images of the entire esophageal wall were obtained in majority of the cases (93.7%) across the different sites, which is consistent with that reported in prior TCE studies,” Tearney and colleagues wrote. “The high image quality, lack of sedation, ease of use, short procedure time and patient acceptance of OCT-TCE procedure suggest that this technology has the potential to become a useful surveillance and screening tool for BE.”
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts