Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Volume 17, Issue 4 , Pages 313-319, Winter 2005

Laser Ablation Therapies for Barrett’s Esophagus

  • Ghulam Abbas, MD

      Affiliations

    • Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
    • ,
  • Arjun Pennathur, MD

      Affiliations

    • Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
    • ,
  • Samuel B. Keeley, MD

      Affiliations

    • Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
    • ,
  • Rodney J. Landreneau, MD

      Affiliations

    • Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Shadyside Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA.
    • ,
  • James D. Luketich, MD

      Affiliations

    • Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests to James D. Luketich, MD, Professor and Chief, Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery Institute, 200 Lothrop St, C-800, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

The metaplastic change of the normal squamous epithelium of the distal esophagus into a specialized columnar epithelium is known as Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and is associated with an increased risk of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. It is a frequent complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and up to 10% of patients with GERD suffer from BE. The progression to dysplasia increases the risk of cancer development and the annual risk of developing cancer in Barrett’s esophagus is estimated to be 0.5% per year. The management of BE with high grade dysplasia (HGD) is controversial. Recent innovations in endoscopic therapy have allowed for the development of multiple endoscopic techniques, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), argon plasma coagulation (APC), and endoscopic mucosal resection. In this article, we will discuss primarily photodynamic therapy, and other ablative technologies such as argon plasma coagulation in the treatment of BE.

Keywords:  Barrett’s esophagus , high-grade dysplasia , photodynamic therapy (PDT) , laser , argon plasma coagulation (APC)

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 Drs. Pennathur and Abbas contributed equally to this article.

PII: S1043-0679(05)00084-5

doi:10.1053/j.semtcvs.2005.10.004

Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Volume 17, Issue 4 , Pages 313-319, Winter 2005

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