Screening for Barrett’s Esophagus in Patients with Cirrhosis Using WATS3D

Abstract

The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease and neoplastic progression in patients with cirrhosis is higher compared to patients without liver disease. The gold standard for screening for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is esophagogastroduodenoscopy with forceps biopsy using the Seattle protocol. However, many physicians refrain from taking biopsies in cirrhotic patients and rely solely on endoscopic findings to avoid hemorrhagic complications secondary to variceal bleeding or coagulopathy. In this case series, we present seven cirrhotic patients at high risk of bleeding that underwent screening for BE by upper endoscopy using WATS^3D with no postprocedural complications.