Prevalence and topography of intestinal metaplasia in columnar lined esophagus.

Objectives: Barrett's mucosa is considered as a mosaic of three epithelial types but little is known about the topography of intestinal metaplasia in columnar lined esophagus. The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of intestinal metaplasia within long and short segments of columnar lined esophagus and to analyze the distribution of the intestinal metaplasia within long segments of Barrett's esophagus.

Patients And Methods: The study was performed on the initial endoscopy carried out among 112 patients enrolled in an endoscopic surveillance program.