Confocal Endomicroscopy for Barrett’s Esophagus

Barrett's esophagus is a leading cause of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Detection of dysplasia and early cancers in Barrett's esophagus can be challenging, time-consuming and expensive. Small lesions may be difficult to detect with standard endoscopy protocols. Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a new type of endoscopy where a small confocal microscope is built into the tip of a standard endoscope. For this study, we are comparing confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) with targeted biopsies with standard endoscopy (EGD)and biopsy for Barrett's esophagus to determine if CLE is more effective for detecting dysplasia and cancer.

Participants with Barrett's esophagus in this study undergo 1) CLE with targeted mucosal biopsies (biopsy only taken if CLE shows abnormal tissue) and 2) standard EGD with biopsies. The order of procedures is randomized (some patients have CLE first while others have standard EGD first).