[Quality of diagnostic procedures and frequency of endoscopically defined diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract]

Abstract

The aim of this clinical investigation was to register the frequency of endoscopically defined diseases of the upper intestinal tract in a given region (Münster and Münsterland) within the period of one year (1.8.1999-31.7.2000). Furthermore, we tried to get an impression on the quality of the upper intestinoscopies by standardised conditions which had been developed by a steering committee (endoscopists and pathologists). 20 physicians (internal specialists and gastroenterologists) examined non-preselected patients and registered all relevant findings in the upper intestinal tract. The following items were of special interest: sex, age, operations in the past, indication, way of preparation, local findings (in the upper intestinal tract), and histological assessment. The examination forms were gathered, checked for completeness and evaluated statistically. Within the given period 8859 examinations forms (45.2% male and 54% female) could be evaluated. In 16% of the patients a reflux oesophagitis was diagnosed, three times more frequently than could have been expected anamnestically regarding the patients' complaints. In 274 patients (3%) the endoscopist suspected a Barrett's oesophagus; the according histological examination confirmed this suspicion in only 125 cases. Furthermore 17 adenocarcinomas and 13 squamous cell carcinomas were found. Macroscopically 44 polyps were registered but not all of them were biopsied. In 257 patients oesophageal varices (of varying degrees) were described. Only in 30.7% of the patients a H. pylori infection (diagnosed by urease test and by histological examination) was detected in the mucosa of the stomach. In 172 patients a gastritis was macroscopically suspected but the following histological assessments were not sufficient. The prevalence of gastric ulcers was 10 %, higher than the prevalence of duodenal ulcers. Only in 50% of the patients with a duodenal ulcer a H. pylori infection could be detected. In 51 cases carcinomas (diagnosis histologically confirmed) were found with the same ratio of the diffuse type and the intestinal type. In 18 patients a carcinoma could be detected in the neighbouring area of gastric ulcers. The endoscopic findings in this investigation do not differ significantly from the results found in literature. It is important that there are more gastric ulcers than duodenal ulcers. This can be explained by the frequent use of PPIs which are prescribed additionally to NSARs and ASS. The deficits of histological diagnostics on Barett's oesophagus and gastritis were remarkable. An improvement of the endoscopic and histologic assessment quality by valid standards systematically applied should be aimed at in future. Furthermore it could be helpful to use the same nomenclature for pathologic findings to intensify the co-operation between the physicians in hospitals and the practitioners.