title: Comparison of rigid and flexible esophagoscopy in the diagnosis of esophageal disease: diagnostic accuracy, complications, and cost.
abstract: Rigid esophagoscopy has been used by otolaryngologists for evaluation of the esophagus for over 100 years. Few studies have examined the diagnostic accuracy of rigid esophagoscopy in patients with carcinoma of the head and neck. The goal of our study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy, complication rate, and costs of rigid esophagoscopy and flexible fiber-optic endoscopy in the evaluation of the esophagus in patients with head and neck carcinoma. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 195 patients with head and neck carcinoma who underwent both rigid esophagoscopy and flexible fiber-optic endoscopy within a 6-month period. We discovered 10 cases with discordant findings, of which 5 (50%) were esophageal carcinoma. The estimated cost was less for flexible endoscopy. No complications were reported in either procedure. Our study suggests that flexible fiber-optic endoscopy should replace rigid esophagoscopy in the evaluation of the esophagus in patients with head and neck carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Glaws
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Etzkorn
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Wenig
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zulfiqar
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Watkins
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D020701:Esophagoscopes; D004945:Esophagoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D005251:Fees, Medical; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017722:Hospital Charges; D006801:Humans; D055100:Optical Fibers; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity