Questionnaire-based survey conducted in 2011 concerning endoscopic management of Barrett's esophagus in East Asian countries.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic definitions and management of Barrett's esophagus vary widely among countries. To examine the current situation regarding diagnosis, epidemiology, management and treatment of Barrett's esophagus in East Asian countries using a questionnaire-based survey.

METHODS: Representative members of the Committee of the International Gastrointestinal Consensus Symposium developed and sent a questionnaire to major institutions in China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

RESULTS: A total of 56 institutions in the 6 countries participated in the survey. We found that the presence of specialized columnar metaplasia is considered to be important for diagnosing Barrett's esophagus in East Asian countries except for Japan. C&M criteria have not been well accepted in East Asia. The palisade vessels are mainly used as a landmark for the esophagogastric junction in Japan. The prevalence of long segment Barrett's esophagus is extremely low in East Asia, while the prevalence of short segment Barrett's esophagus is very high only in Japan, likely due to different diagnostic criteria.

CONCLUSION: Among East Asian countries, we found both similarities and differences regarding diagnosis and management of Barrett's esophagus. The findings in the present survey are helpful to understand the current situation of Barrett's esophagus in East Asian countries.