The PillCam ESO(Given Imaging,Israel) or esophageal capsule endoscopy(ECE) is a novel technique used in the diagnostic evaluation of esophagus.Many studies have been performed to compare the accuracy of ECE against th...The PillCam ESO(Given Imaging,Israel) or esophageal capsule endoscopy(ECE) is a novel technique used in the diagnostic evaluation of esophagus.Many studies have been performed to compare the accuracy of ECE against the current gold standard esophagogastro-duodenoscopy and a meta-analysis recently published by Lu et al suggests that ECE may have an acceptable sensitivity and specificity in detecting esophageal varices.We would like to discuss the importance and implication of publication bias in this meta-analysis.展开更多
The primary purpose of variceal screening in patients with cirrhosis is to detect gastroesophageal varices at high risk of hemorrhage and implement preventative intervention(s).It was previously recommended that all p...The primary purpose of variceal screening in patients with cirrhosis is to detect gastroesophageal varices at high risk of hemorrhage and implement preventative intervention(s).It was previously recommended that all patients with cirrhosis undergo initial and periodic longitudinal variceal screening via upper endoscopy.However,there has been growing interest and methods to identify patients with cirrhosis who may not have clinically significant portal hypertension and therefore be unlikely to have varices requiring intervention or benefit from upper endoscopy.Because the population of patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease continues to grow,it is neither beneficial nor cost-effective to perform endoscopic variceal screening in all patients.Therefore,there is ongoing research into the development of methods to non-invasively risk stratify patients with cirrhosis for the presence of high-risk esophageal varices and effectively limit the population that undergoes endoscopic variceal screening.This is particularly important and timely in light of increasing healthcare reform and barriers to healthcare.In this review,we discuss and compare,with respect to test characteristics and clinical applicability,the available methods used to noninvasively predict the presence of esophageal varices.展开更多
文摘The PillCam ESO(Given Imaging,Israel) or esophageal capsule endoscopy(ECE) is a novel technique used in the diagnostic evaluation of esophagus.Many studies have been performed to compare the accuracy of ECE against the current gold standard esophagogastro-duodenoscopy and a meta-analysis recently published by Lu et al suggests that ECE may have an acceptable sensitivity and specificity in detecting esophageal varices.We would like to discuss the importance and implication of publication bias in this meta-analysis.
文摘The primary purpose of variceal screening in patients with cirrhosis is to detect gastroesophageal varices at high risk of hemorrhage and implement preventative intervention(s).It was previously recommended that all patients with cirrhosis undergo initial and periodic longitudinal variceal screening via upper endoscopy.However,there has been growing interest and methods to identify patients with cirrhosis who may not have clinically significant portal hypertension and therefore be unlikely to have varices requiring intervention or benefit from upper endoscopy.Because the population of patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease continues to grow,it is neither beneficial nor cost-effective to perform endoscopic variceal screening in all patients.Therefore,there is ongoing research into the development of methods to non-invasively risk stratify patients with cirrhosis for the presence of high-risk esophageal varices and effectively limit the population that undergoes endoscopic variceal screening.This is particularly important and timely in light of increasing healthcare reform and barriers to healthcare.In this review,we discuss and compare,with respect to test characteristics and clinical applicability,the available methods used to noninvasively predict the presence of esophageal varices.
