The Evaluation of Patients With Esophageal and Foregut Disorders With WATS (Wide Area Transepithelial Sample With 3-Dimensional Computer-Assisted Analysis) vs. 4-Quadrant Forceps Biopsy

Patients scheduled to undergo routine upper endoscopy for foregut or esophageal symptoms will be enrolled. Patients undergoing surveillance for Barrett's esophagus with no dysplasia or low-grade dysplasia are candidates for participation, but patients with known high-grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma or with a history of prior endoscopic resection or ablation for these conditions are not candidates for participation. Informed consent will be obtained from every patient prior to enrollment.

Patients will be randomized prior to starting the procedure. Each patient will receive a randomization code at the time of randomization. It is important that the randomization code be included in the Case Report Form submitted with each patient, and will represent the unique deidentified code for each patient's data for inclusion in the study database.

At endoscopy, all patients will be initially assessed for the presence of an endoscopic suspicious lesion using white light and if appropriate narrow band imaging or similar enhanced imaging techniques. All suspicious lesions undergo targeted biopsy first, and then either 4-Quadrant Random Forceps Biopsy or WATS biopsies of the GEJ and if present the columnar-lined esophagus based on the assigned randomization away from the area of targeted biopsies. A biopsy will be obtained from the antrum in each patient to assess for H. pylori infection and the presence of intestinal metaplasia.

Targeted forceps biopsies of any endoscopic suspicious area will be placed in a separate pathology bottle from those obtained from 4-Quadrant Random Forceps Biopsy and analyzed separately as well.

All the components needed to perform WATS biopsies are included in a kit with complete written instructions.