What is the specific abnormality in the inner lining (epithelium) of Barretts esophagus?
To repeat, the first criterion for the diagnosis of Barrett’s esophagus is the finding at endoscopy of a pink lining in the esophagus where it is normally not seen. This abnormal lining may appear circumferentially like a band, tongue-like or as islands.. The second criterion is that biopsies from the pink lining reveal the characteristic intestinalized mucosa (the lining normally seen in the intestines) with the typical goblet cells. The esophageal biopsies are obtained during an endoscopy. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is a procedure in which the doctor inserts a long flexible tube (endoscope) through the mouth and down into the esophagus to directly visualize the lining of the esophagus. During the same endoscopic examination, the stomach and duodenum also can be visualized. Multiple small samples (biopsies) of the lining epithelial tissue can be obtained through the endoscope. Intestinal metaplasia As mentioned previously, the process of the replacement of one type of tissue
