Histopathological spectrum of lesions of upper gastrointestinal tract – A study of endoscopic biopsies

Abstract

Background The disorders of upper gastrointestinal tract are responsible for a great deal of morbidity and mortality. Upper GI endoscopy in combination with biopsy plays an important role in the exact diagnosis of these disorders for further management. Objectives To study the histopathological spectrum of upper GI tract lesions. Materials and Methods A descriptive study was conducted on endoscopic biopsies of upper GI tract in a tertiary care hospital over a period of 26 months from March 2011 to April • Results Out of 196 endoscopic biopsies studied 129 were from male patients and 67 were from female patients. An age range of 19- 90 years was observed. There were 50 (25.5%) cases from esophagus, 15(7.65%) cases from GE junction, 127 (64.8%) cases from stomach and 4 (2.04%) cases from duodenum. 45(23%) cases were non-neoplastic, 52(26.5%) cases were benign neoplasms while 99(50.5%) were malignant neoplasms. Histopathology revealed gastritis (38 cases) (84.4%) as the most frequently diagnosed inflammatory lesion while adenocarcinoma stomach (45 cases) (45.9%) comprised the most frequently diagnosed malignant lesion. Conclusion Endoscopy generates biopsy specimens from sites that were previously inaccessible without a major resection. So a thorough knowledge of the spectrum of lesions that can be diagnosed in these specimens is pertinent to make a proper diagnosis for better patient management.

Keywords

• Upper GIT, Endoscopy, Biopsy, Histopathology