Progress in Oesophagoscopy

Abstract

667 endoscopic examinations of the oesophagus performed during a 5-year period by the rigid as well as by the flexible oesophagoscope are reviewed. 80% of the procedures were diagnostic. The examinations of 77 patients with oesophageal cancer stress the importance of performing simultaneous bronchoscopy on these patients. In 10% the tumour was found to have invaded the bronchial tree. On the basis of the biopsies taken, there was a significantly better agreement with the final diagnosis when the biopsies were taken with a flexible than with a rigid oesophagoscope. Owing to the simultaneous occurrence of gastric and duodenal diseases in 30% of the patients, examination of the oesophagus should always be combined with gastro-duodenoscopy. The importance of endoscopy in patients with dysphagia, but negative X-ray findings is stressed as a step towards earlier diagnosis of malignant oesophageal diseases. Moreover, a certain centralization of the examinations is recommended in consequence of the increasing expenses for modern endoscopic equipment and the special demands on its daily tending and maintenance.