Researchers studied exam data for 12,899 patients. Endoscopists utilized WATS as an adjunct to targeted and random forceps biopsy. They alternated between WATS and FB samples.
Here’s what you should know:
1. Forceps biopsy identified 88 cases of esophageal dysplasia and WATS identified an additional 213 cases missed by FB.
2. Adding WATS to FB increased detection by 242 percent.
3. The combination of random and targeted FB identified 1,684 Barrett’s esophagus cases. WATS identified an additional 2,570 cases. Adding WATS to FB increased overall detection by 153 percent.
Lead study author Michael Smith, MD, said, “With the results of this and other published studies, the evidence is overwhelming that we should be using WATS3D along with forceps biopsies to evaluate all of our BE patients. We should not rely solely on techniques like forceps sampling, which clearly miss evidence of progression toward esophageal adenocarcinoma, an often fatal disease.”
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