Options For Treating Barrett's Esophagus

Periodic Endoscopy

A critical factor in treating Barrett's esophagus is the use of a periodic endoscopy to check for cancerous and precancerous tissues. An endoscopy is a procedure utilized to examine a patient's upper digestive tract. This procedure is nonsurgical, and it is performed primarily for monitoring and diagnostic purposes. During this procedure, the individual is sedated in some form so they do not feel any discomfort or pain. The physician then passes the endoscope from the patient's mouth down into their throat, and then it is passed into the esophagus. The physician uses a monitor connected with the camera on the endoscope to inspect the tissues of the esophageal lining. If the physician sees anything concerning during the procedure, they may decide to perform a biopsy while the endoscope is already in place. The recommendation of how often a patient with Barrett's esophagus should have an endoscopy performed will depend on other risk factors such as age and familial history of cancer. Should cancerous tissue be observed in an endoscopy procedure, the patient can have it removed before it has the opportunity to spread.

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