Is there a learning curve for ablative therapy of Barretts esophagus?
Brian Petullo, Ryan Madanick, Evan Dellon, Joseph Galanko, Nicholas Shaheen UNC Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Background: Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is a pre-malignant condition consisting of intestinal metaplasia of the lower esophageal epithelium. To prevent its progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma, several endoscopic ablative techniques have been employed to eliminate this pre-cancerous tissue, including radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Typically, multiple ablation sessions are required to fully eliminate metaplastic or dysplastic tissue. Aim: To assess if there is learning curve for physicians performing RFA. Methods: We performed a review of 110 patients with dysplastic BE who had undergone RFA for BE. Of these, 73 (66%) completed treatment and 69/73 (95%) had complete eradication of metaplastic and dysplastic tissue. Variables collected include percent BE resolution, pre-ablation histology, complications (chest pain, stricture, hospitalizatio
