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Endoscopy 2013; 45(07): 575-578
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1344025
Case report/series
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Feasibility and efficacy of argon plasma coagulation for early esophageal squamous cell neoplasia[*]

B.-H. Min
Departments of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
E. R. Kim
Departments of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
J. H. Lee
Departments of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
K. J. Kang
Departments of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
P.-L. Rhee
Departments of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
J. J. Kim
Departments of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
J. C. Rhee
Departments of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

submitted: 19 August 2012

accepted after revision: 05 February 2013

Publication Date:
25 June 2013 (online)

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We present 19 cases in which argon plasma coagulation (APC) was used as curative initial treatment for 5 low-grade esophageal squamous intraepithelial neoplasias (ESINs), 12 high-grade ESINs, and 2 early esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs). Complete response was defined as the absence of tumor from any biopsy taken from the ablated lesion. At follow-up endoscopy 2 – 4 months after APC, 94.7 % of patients had achieved complete response in a single treatment session. Only one patient with high-grade ESIN showed local recurrence. This patient underwent additional APC and showed complete response at 12 months after initial APC. At the 12-month follow-up endoscopy, again 94.7 % had a complete response. The exception was one patient with local recurrence, who underwent additional APC. After the 12-month follow-up endoscopy, no patient showed local recurrence during a median follow-up of 22 months. No stricture requiring endoscopic dilation occurred after the procedure. This study suggests that APC is a feasible and effective treatment modality for ESIN and early ESCC.

* The first two authors (Byung-Hoon Min and Eun Ran Kim) contributed equally to this work.


 

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