title: ESGE Survey: worldwide practice patterns amongst gastroenterologists regarding the endoscopic management of Barrett's esophagus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Barrett's esophagus is a common condition that is widely encountered in clinical practice. This European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) survey aimed to determine practice patterns amongst European clinicians with regard to the diagnosis and management of Barrett's esophagus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinicians attending the ESGE learning area at the United European Gastroenterology Week in 2014 were invited to complete a 10-question survey. This survey was programed on to two Apple iPads. Information was gathered with regard to demographics, practice settings, and diagnosis and management strategies for Barrett's esophagus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 163 responses were obtained. Over half of respondents (61 %) were based in university hospitals, the majority (78 %) were aged 30 - 50 and half had more than 10 years' experience; 66 % had attended courses on Barrett's esophagus and more than half (60 %) used the Prague C & M classification. Advanced imaging was used by 73 % of clinicians and 72 % of respondents stated that their group practiced ablation therapy. Most (76 %) practiced surveillance for non-dysplastic Barrett's, 6 % offered ablation therapy in some situations, and 18 % offered no intervention. For low grade dysplasia, 56 % practiced surveillance, 19 % ablated some cases and 15 % ablated all cases. In total, 32 % of clinicians referred high grade dysplasia to expert centers, with 20 % referring directly for surgery and 46 % using ablation therapy in certain cases. Endoscopic mucosal resection was the most commonly used ablation technique (44 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There has been reasonable uptake of the Prague C & M classification for describing Barrett's esophagus, and ablation is widely practiced. However, practice patterns for Barrett's esophagus vary widely between clinicians with clear guidance and quality standards required.
authors.affiliation: South Tyneside District Hospital, South Shields, UK; Northern Region Endoscopy Group, UK.
authors.forename: Simon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.affiliation: South Tyneside District Hospital, South Shields, UK; Northern Region Endoscopy Group, UK.
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Neilson
authors.affiliation: Digestive Endoscopy Unit, Catholic University, Department of General Surgery, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Veteran Affairs Medical Centre, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Prateek
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guy
authors.affiliation: South Tyneside District Hospital, South Shields, UK; Northern Region Endoscopy Group, UK; School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, University of Durham, Stockton on Tees, UK.
authors.forename: Colin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rees