Efficacy of endoscopic biopsies in establishing histologic diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal tract lesions - A one year prospective study

Introduction: The definitive diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal disorders depends on histopathological confirmation & is the basis for planning treatment. Histopathological study is also used to monitor the extent of disease, response to therapy & for early detection of complications. Aim:To determine the incidence and spectrum of Upper Gastrointestinal lesions. Study design: A prospective descriptive study done in a period of one year from June 2015 to May 2016. Setting: Department of Pathology, ASRAMS. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in our institute that includes 100 patients. All upper GIT endoscopic biopsies received during the 1 year period were included in the study. The tissues were formalin fixed, routinely processed and embedded in paraffin wax. Three to five serial sections were taken, stained with Hematoxylin & Eosin and examined. Results: Stomach was the most frequent site of endoscopic biopsy(64%) followed by oesophagus(25%), duodenum(6%) and gastroesophageal junction(5%). Majority of patients(51%) presented with dysphagia and abdominal pain. Mean age of presentation was 50 years. Male to Female ratio is 3:1. Association with Helicobacter pylori was noted in few cases, which were identified on giemsa stain. Conclusion: This study showed a good correlation between endoscopic and histological diagnosis. Further studies are needed to identify the underlying risk factors.