Esophagus to Small Intestine
Am J Gastroenterol. 2023;118(7):1168–74
Yield of repeat endoscopy for Barrett’s esophagus after normal index endoscopy
Introduction: Guidelines suggest 1-time screening with esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) in individuals at an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). The authors aimed to estimate the yield of repeat EGD performed at prolonged intervals after a normal index EGD.
Methods: They conducted a national retrospective analysis within the US Veterans Health Administration, identifying patients with a normal index EGD between 2003 and 2009 who subsequently had a repeat EGD. They tabulated the proportion with a new diagnosis of BE, EAC, or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJAC) and conducted manual chart review of a sample. Logistic regression models for the odds of a new diagnosis of BE/EAC/EGJAC were fitted.
Results: 71,216 individuals who had a repeat EGD between 1 and 16 years after an index EGD without billing or cancer registry codes for BE/EAC/EGJAC were identified. Of them, 4088 had a new billing or cancer registry code for BE/EAC/EGJAC after the repeat EGD. On manual review of a stratified sample, most did not truly have new BE/EAC/EGJAC. A longer duration between EGD was associated with greater odds of a new diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for each 5 years = 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–1.44), particularly among those who were younger during the index EGD (ages 19–29 years: aOR = 3.92; 95% CI: 1.24–12.4; ages 60–69 years: aOR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.01–1.40).
Discussion: The yield of repeat esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal adenocarcinoma or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma seems to increase with time after a normal index EGD, particularly for younger individuals. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings.