Artificial Intelligence in the Detection of Barrett's Esophagus: A Systematic Review

Barrett's esophagus (BE) remains a significant precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma, requiring accurate and efficient diagnosis and management. The increasing application of machine learning (ML) technologies presents a transformative opportunity for diagnosing and treating BE. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness and accuracy of machine learning technologies in BE diagnosis and management by conducting a comprehensive search across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases up to the year 2023. The studies were organized into five categories: computer-aided systems, natural language processing and text-based systems, deep learning on histology and biopsy images, real-time and video analysis, and miscellaneous studies. Results indicate high sensitivity and specificity across machine learning applications. Specifically, computer-aided systems showed sensitivities ranging from 84% to 100% and specificities from 64% to 90.7%. Natural language processing and text-based systems achieved an accuracy as high as 98.7%. Deep learning techniques applied to histology and biopsy images displayed sensitivities up to greater than 90% and a specificity of 100%. Furthermore, real-time and video analysis technologies demonstrated high performance with assessment speeds of up to 48 frames per second (fps) and a mean average precision of 75.3%. Overall, the reviewed literature underscores the growing capability and efficiency of machine learning technologies in diagnosing and managing Barrett's esophagus, often outperforming traditional diagnostic methods. These findings highlight the promising future role of machine learning in enhancing clinical practice and improving patient care for Barrett's esophagus.

Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Causing Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis

Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a rare condition that causes noninfectious vegetative lesions of heart valves. NBTE is generally seen in association with advanced malignancy. The patient in this case is a 54-year-old Caucasian male with a history of rate-controlled atrial fibrillation on rivaroxaban and morbid obesity post sleeve gastrectomy in 2021, who was admitted for atrial flutter. Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) cardioversion was planned due to difficulty in controlling the heart rate. During the procedure, cardioversion was aborted due to TEE findings of large mobile vegetation on the left atrial side of the posterior mitral valve leaflet. The patient was afebrile for the entirety of his 10-day hospital stay, and four sets of blood cultures were negative. Further workup with esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed a large partially obstructing ulcerated mass in the middle and lower third of the esophagus arising in the setting of Barrett's esophagus which was biopsy positive for esophageal adenocarcinoma. The patient was found to have advanced malignancy with metastases to the liver, adrenal glands, and perirectal lymph nodes. This case emphasizes the utilization of a TEE prior to cardioversion and also highlights the importance of EGD prior to and post gastric sleeve surgery to evaluate for esophageal cancer.

High-Grade Pure Esophageal Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Arising From Barrett's Mucosa: A Rare Phenomenon

Esophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma (E-NEC) is a very rare neuroendocrine tumor. There are only a few case reports where pure esophageal NEC is found to be arising from Barett's mucosa. Here we present a case of high-grade pure E-NEC arising from Barrett's esophagus, which was metastasized to the liver at the time of diagnosis.