Barrett's esophagus suspected at endoscopy but no specialized intestinal metaplasia on biopsy, what's next?

Objectives: There are no guidelines regarding the best practice for when Barrett's esophagus (BE) is suspected but not confirmed by histology. The aim of this study was to examine the value of endoscopic follow-up for individuals with endoscopic only BE at index endoscopy.

Methods: We performed a longitudinal study of patients diagnosed with suspected columnar lined esophagus (CLE) (suspected BE in the absence of histological confirmation of specialized intestinal metaplasia (IM)).

The utility of evaluating low serum albumin gradient ascites in patients with cirrhosis.

Objectives: Serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) has been used extensively in the diagnostic workup of patients with ascites. A SAAG level of <1.1 g/dl is usually thought of as a result of nonportal hypertension etiologies, including malignancies, tuberculous peritonitis, and nephrotic syndrome.