In Vivo Optical Detection of Dysplasia in Barrett’s Esophagus with Endoscopic Light Scattering Spectroscopy

The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is increasing more rapidly than any other type of carcinoma in the United States. Almost 100% of cases occur in patients with Barrett’s esophagus, a benign condition in which metaplastic columnar epithelium replaces the normal squamous epithelium of the esophagus. Although the prognosis of patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma is poor, the chances of successful treatment increase significantly if the disease is detected at the dysplastic stage. Recently, we developed the clinical endoscopic polarized light scattering spectroscopy imaging instrument which performs rapid optical scanning and multispectral imaging of the entire esophageal surface and provides diagnoses in near real time. By detecting and mapping suspicious sites, guided biopsy of invisible, precancerous dysplasia becomes practicable.