New York—Adding a computer-assisted sampling technique to standard four-quadrant forceps biopsies nearly doubled the diagnostic yield for Barrett’s esophagus in a community-based study of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. In a second study conducted in patients with established BE, this technique, called wide-area transepithelial sampling (WATS), tripled the detection of high-grade dysplasia.
“WATS is not intended to be a substitute for targeted forceps biopsy of