Argon plasma coagulation in Barrett's esophagus.
Despite the availability of many clinical trials, there is no evidence that APC has any role in the management of Barrett's esophagus. Ablation therapy is not indicated for nondysplastic Barrett's esophagus (and this is true, whatever the technique used), and it should not be performed outside of a carefully designed and approved clinical trial. Indeed, these patients have a low risk of cancer, and there is no evidence that Barrett's esophagus ablation will be of any benefit for these patients. In some cases, APC could be of some help, especially for treating short segments of dysplastic Barrett's esophagus. In this field, however, it competes with the growing indication of mucosectomy, which clearly offers advantages in terms of treatment's quality control assessment.
Franchimont
Denis
D
Gastroenterology Department, Hôpital Erasme-Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Van Laethem
Jean-Luc
JL
Devière
Jacques
J
D001128:Argon / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004564:Electrocoagulation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans
D001128:Argon