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Multicenter Study
. 2012 Feb;75(2):236-41.
doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2011.09.017.

Validation of the Prague C & M criteria for the endoscopic grading of Barrett's esophagus by gastroenterology trainees: a multicenter study

Babac Vahabzadeh  1 , Anil B Seetharam, Michael B Cook, Sachin Wani, Amit Rastogi, Ajay Bansal, Dayna S Early, Prateek Sharma
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Validation of the Prague C & M criteria for the endoscopic grading of Barrett's esophagus by gastroenterology trainees: a multicenter study

Babac Vahabzadeh et al. Gastrointest Endosc. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

Background: The Prague C & M criteria, developed for the endoscopic grading of Barrett's esophagus (BE), (C = circumferential length, M = maximal length) were previously validated among a panel of 29 expert endoscopists with a special interest in BE. Its performance among gastroenterology trainees is unknown.

Objective: To test interobserver agreement among gastroenterology trainees for the Prague C & M criteria, identification of the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) and the diaphragmatic hiatus.

Design: A prospective study.

Setting: Two tertiary referral centers.

Patients and interventions: Standardized endoscopic videos were used.

Main outcome measurements: Interobserver agreement.

Results: Eighteen high-quality videos (normal esophagus, short and long lengths of BE, equally distributed) were independently evaluated by 18 gastroenterology trainees (year 1, n = 5; year 2, n = 6; year 3, n = 7) after administration of a formal teaching module by an expert endoscopist. Overall intraclass correlation coefficients for assessment of the C and M extent of the endoscopic BE segment above the GEJ were 0.94 (95% CI, 0.89-0.98) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.94-0.98), respectively. The overall intraclass correlation coefficients for GEJ and diaphragmatic hiatus location recognition were 0.92 (0.86-0.96) and 0.90 (0.82-0.95), respectively. The year of training did not affect interobserver agreement.

Limitations: The use of videos for endoscopic evaluation.

Conclusion: After standardized teaching, the Prague C & M criteria have high overall validity among gastroenterology trainees irrespective of the level of training for endoscopic evaluation of visualized BE lengths as well as key endoscopic landmarks.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Endoscopic view of Barrett's esophagus showing C: extent of circumferential metaplasia and M: maximal extent of metaplasia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Case report form (CRF) used by assessors for analysis of endoscopic videos
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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