COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ENDOSCOPIC FINDINGS AND THE HISTOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF ANTRAL GASTRITES.

BACKGROUND: Gastritis is a very common disorder that is widely distributed worldwide, representing one of the most prevalent pathological entities in Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the correlation between the endoscopic findings and the histological diagnosis of antral gastritis.

METHODS: In this study, 92 reports of upper digestive endoscopy were performed between November 2014 and January 2015, including biopsy of the antral gastric mucosa, comparing the endoscopic and histological findings, which were classified according to the Sidney System. The 92 exams included 35 men and 57 women, ranging in age from 15 to 84 years. The most frequent indication was epigastric pain.

RESULTS: Of the 92 examinations analyzed, the histological diagnosis of antral gastritis appeared in 75 exams, 59 endoscopic reports contained the diagnosis of antral gastritis, and 33 endoscopic findings were normal. The kappa coefficient was 0.212 (P<0.05), indicating that there was no significant agreement between the endoscopic findings and the histological diagnosis of antral gastritis.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that histology represents the gold standard method for the diagnosis of antral gastritis and that in daily clinical practice, biopsies should always be performed, regardless of the endoscopic findings.