Published in:
01-12-2015 | Original Article
A retrospective analysis of oesophageal thickening diagnosed as an incidental finding at Computed Tomography with endoscopic and histological correlation
Published in: Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) | Issue 4/2015
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Purpose
A retrospective analysis of oesophageal thickening diagnosed as an incidental finding at Computed Tomography (CT) with endoscopic and histological correlation.
Materials and methods
Retrospective review of CT studies at a University Teaching Hospital in a 3-month period was performed and those who had a correlating upper gastrointestinal endoscopy within 6 months of the CT were included in the study. The findings were correlated with results from endoscopy to histology. The CT images were reviewed by two Consultant Radiologists with a sub-speciality interest in Abdominal Imaging prior to correlation with endoscopic and histology results from the patient’s medical records.
Results
Three hundred and sixty-one patients met the inclusion, of which 20 % (n = 72) were felt to have a thickened distal oesophagus on CT. Of these, 30.6 % (n = 22) had a mass or abnormal mucosal thickening on endoscopy, found to be malignant on subsequent biopsy in 50 % (n = 11) and Barrett’s epithelium in 50 % (n = 11), a statistically significant finding compared to those who had a normal CT.
Conclusion
Endoscopic evaluation is recommended for incidental oesophageal thickening detected at Computed Tomography to exclude underlying malignancy.