Gel immersion (GI) endoscopy provides a good visual field in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD); however, its clinical outcomes are poorly understood. This study aimed to compare the treatment outcomes between esophageal gel immersion endoscopic submucosal dissection (GI-ESD) and conventional ESD (C-ESD) to determine the safety and efficacy of GI-ESD. The data of 71 consecutive patients who underwent esophageal ESD between April 2021 and March 2023 at a Japanese tertiary center were retrospectively reviewed. GI was achieved using an additional irrigation tube. The treatment outcomes between the GI-ESD and C-ESD groups were compared using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to control for confounding factors. A total of 75 superficial esophageal epithelial neoplasms (41 in the C-ESD and 34 in the GI-ESD groups) were treated using ESD. The mean procedure time in the GI-ESD group was significantly shorter than that in the C-ESD group (59.2±36.2 vs 85.3±45.7min, P=0.008). After IPTW adjustment, the mean procedural times were 62.6±36.6 and 82.9±41.7min in the GI-ESD and C-ESD groups, respectively (P=0.037), and the incidence rate of muscle layer damage was 4.2% in the GI-ESD group and 30.6% in the C-ESD group (P=0.001). In the multivariate analysis, specimen size ≥30mm (odds ratio [OR]: 9.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.46-36.30, P=0.001) was positively correlated with longer procedural time (≥90min), whereas GI-ESD (OR: 0.19, 95%CI: 0.05-0.68, P=0.011) showed a negative association. Esophageal GI-ESD may be useful in terms of safety and time efficiency. The GI technique could be an option for esophageal ESD.
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