Endoscopic identification of Helicobacter pylori gastritis in children.
OBJECTIVE
The role of endoscopic findings in deciding whether to biopsy the gastric mucosa of children remains unclear. The present study attempted, for the first time, to identify the value of endoscopic features for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in children.


METHODS
Hp status of consecutive children receiving esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was established by combinations of histology, (13)C-urea breath test, and serum Hp immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibody. After routine EGD using a conventional endoscope, the presence of RAC (regular arrangement of collecting venules) was scored by close observation, which was carried out at two sites of lower corpus lesser curvature and upper corpus greater curvature. RAC-positive was defined as the presence of minute red points in a regular pattern. Antral nodularity was also scored as present/absent.


RESULTS
Eighty-seven consecutive children (38 boys, median age 13 years, range 9-15 years) were evaluated; 25 (29%) were Hp positive. Antral nodularity was seen in 21 (84%) all of whom were Hp positive. The RAC-negative pattern based on examination of the upper and lower corpus yielded a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for the presence of Hp infection of 100%, 90%, 81%, and 100%. Magnifying endoscopy confirmed that the RAC pattern corresponded to collecting venules in the gastric corpus.


CONCLUSIONS
The absence of RAC pattern suggests that gastric mucosa biopsies should be taken despite otherwise normal-appearing gastric mucosa for the diagnosis of Hp infection in children.
Hidaka
Nao
N
Departments of Pediatrics, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Nakayama
Yoshiko
Y
Horiuchi
Akira
A
Kato
Sawako
S
Sano
Kenji
K
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014699:Venules / Q000473:pathology