Who needs radiology? A/S/G/E Distinguished Lecture 1980

Use of endoscopy in peptic ulcer disease

The diagnosis and treatment of acute bleeding caused by peptic ulcer disease has been greatly facilitated by fiberoptic endoscopy. The basic differentiation between malignant and benign gastric ulcer requires endoscopic confirmation with biopsy. The management of bleeding from peptic ulceration can be enhanced by endoscopic examination as can the prediction of risk for recurrent bleeding or need for surgical intervention. Various therapeutic maneuvers can be performed endoscopically, including monopolar and multipolar cautery, laser and heater probe therapy, and injection of vasoconstrictors to control bleeding. Endoscopic balloon dilation for the management of gastric outlet obstruction is often effective.

The freckle sign--an endoscopic feature of the cecum

Mucosal spots, or "freckles," surrounding the appendiceal orifice are an endoscopic feature of the cecum. These are clusters of 1 to 2 mm round or oval slightly raised spots, each with a pale center and an erythematous border. They correlate microscopically with subepithelial and submucosal lymphoid follicles. The freckling pattern, identified in about one third of colonoscopies, was seen best with the videoendoscope and was identified more commonly in patients with systemic illness. Recognition of mucosal freckling around the appendiceal orifice helps identify the cecum and may be useful in the evaluation of cecal and appendiceal pathology.