Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Sep;46(5):445-9.
doi: 10.5946/ce.2013.46.5.445. Epub 2013 Sep 30.

Confocal microscopy in the esophagus and stomach

Adam Templeton  1 , Joo Ha Hwang
Affiliations
Review

Confocal microscopy in the esophagus and stomach

Adam Templeton et al. Clin Endosc. 2013 Sep.

Abstract

Probe-based confocal microscopy (pCLE) is actively being investigated for applications in the esophagus and stomach. The use of pCLE allows real-time in vivo microscopy to evaluate the microarchitecture of the mucosal epithelium. pCLE appears to be particularly useful in identifying mucosal dysplasia and early malignancies that cannot be clearly distinguished using high-definition white light endoscopy, chromoendoscopy, or magnification endoscopy. In addition, the ability to detect dysplastic tissue in real-time may shift the current screening practice from random biopsy to targeted biopsy of esophageal and gastric cancers and their precursor lesions. We will review the use of pCLE for detection and surveillance of upper gastrointestinal early luminal malignancy.

Keywords: Barrett esophagus; Dysplasia; Gastric intestinal metaplasia; Microscopy, confocal.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Esophageal probe-based confocal microscopy images of (A) normal squamous epithelium, (B) Barrett's metaplasia without dysplasia, (C) high-grade dysplasia, and (D) adenocarcinoma.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Gastric probe-based confocal microscopy images of (A) normal gastric epithelium from the body of the stomach, (B) gastric intestinal metaplasia without dysplasia, (C) gastric dysplasia, and (D) early gastric cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kiesslich R, Burg J, Vieth M, et al. Confocal laser endoscopy for diagnosing intraepithelial neoplasias and colorectal cancer in vivo. Gastroenterology. 2004;127:706–713. - PubMed
    1. Wallace MB, Fockens P. Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy. Gastroenterology. 2009;136:1509–1513. - PubMed
    1. Wallace M, Lauwers GY, Chen Y, et al. Miami classification for probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy. Endoscopy. 2011;43:882–891. - PubMed
    1. Wang TD, Friedland S, Sahbaie P, et al. Functional imaging of colonic mucosa with a fibered confocal microscope for real-time in vivo pathology. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007;5:1300–1305. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Polglase AL, McLaren WJ, Skinner SA, Kiesslich R, Neurath MF, Delaney PM. A fluorescence confocal endomicroscope for in vivo microscopy of the upper- and the lower-GI tract. Gastrointest Endosc. 2005;62:686–695. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources