title: A retrospective analysis of oesophageal thickening diagnosed as an incidental finding at Computed Tomography with endoscopic and histological correlation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A retrospective analysis of oesophageal thickening diagnosed as an incidental finding at Computed Tomography (CT) with endoscopic and histological correlation.
  
  
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endoscopic evaluation is recommended for incidental oesophageal thickening detected at Computed Tomography to exclude underlying malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Tallaght Hospital, Dublin 24, Ireland. umersalati@gmail.com.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Salati
authors.affiliation: Tallaght Hospital, Dublin 24, Ireland. ken_courtney@live.ie.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Courtney
authors.affiliation: Tallaght Hospital, Dublin 24, Ireland. terrykok@gmail.com.
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kok
authors.affiliation: Tallaght Hospital, Dublin 24, Ireland. William.torreggiani@amnch.ie.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Torreggiani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001706:Biopsy; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Barrett oesophagus; Endoscopy; Multidetector computed tomography; Oesophageal neoplasms; Oesophagus