title: Endoscopy as final arbiter in controlled clinical trials in peptic disorders.
abstract: Endoscopy should not be the sole final arbiter in controlled clinical trials of peptic disorders. Data on the response of symptoms to treatment and the occurrence of side-effects may be not as 'hard' as endoscopically assessed 'healing' and 'relapse', but may be clinically more meaningful. Furthermore, in most recent trials, 'healing' and 'relapse' were poorly defined; important information on residual mucosal lesions after healing was often neglected.
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D004724:Endoscopy; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012008:Recurrence; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009626:Terminology as Topic