[Histopathologic diagnosis of Barrett mucosa and associated neoplasias: results of a consensus conference of the Working Group for Gastroenterological Pathology within the Germany Society of Pathology, September 2001 in Erlangen].

There are a number of difficulties regarding the diagnosis of Barrett's mucosa and the varying grades of neoplasia that may be associated with it. It was therefore the aim of a Consensus-Conference of the Working Group for Gastroenterological Pathology within the German Society of Pathology to achieve standardization regarding the following issues: definition and diagnostic criteria for Barrett's mucosa and its discrimination from intestinal metaplasia of the cardia, diagnostic criteria for intraepithelial neoplasia, number of biopsies necessary to establish the diagnosis, significance of additional immunohistochemical and/or molecular methods as well as importance of a second opinion in the diagnosis of intraepithelial neoplasia.