Endoscopic classifications of esophageal changes in chagasic megaesophagus

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this report is to propose a classification of endoscopic changes for chagasic megaesophagus based on macroscopic findings. Thirty patients with advanced megaesophagus surgically treated using the Doria Serra technique (1968)3 were enrolled in this quasi-randomized study. All participants were treated in the Surgical Department of Hospital de Base of the Medicine School in São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), Brazil from January 1995 to December 1999. The ages of the 17 male (56.6%) and 13 female (43.3%) patients ranged from 38 to 71 years. All participants were submitted to esophagogastroduodenal endoscopy with the following classification being proposed: mild, moderate and severe esophagitis. The current study demonstrates a correlation between the classifications of endoscopic changes and the degree of histological alterations of the esophageal mucosa in chagasic megaesophagus. Thus, this is a novel option for endoscopic evaluation of patients with this disease.