GIE Associate Editor, Dr. Fauze Maluf-Filho, highlights this article from the August issue “Prospective study of endoscopic focal cryoballoon ablation for esophageal squamous cell neoplasia in China” by Yan Ke, MD, et al. 

This is one of the first and probably the largest clinical trial reporting on the treatment of moderate- and high-grade dysplasia of the esophageal squamous cell epithelium with balloon cryoablation.

It gives an alternative for the treatment of moderate- and high-grade dysplasia of the esophageal squamous cell epithelium in cases in which mucosectomy or endoscopic submucosal dissection might not be the first alternative (eg, coagulopathy, multiple synchronic lesions).

Cryoballoon ablation treatment  was associated with a complete histologic remission of more than 95% of flat-type moderate- or high-grade dysplastic lesions of limited size and no pink-color sign.

Figure 1. The focal cryoballoon ablation system. A and B, A 3.6-mm-diameter catheter is advanced through the working channel of a therapeutic endoscope. C, The balloon is inflated and automatically adjusts to the size of the esophagus. D, A 10-second flow of nitrous oxide results in focal ice patches of approximately 2 cm². E, The entire lesion can be ablated with side-by-side applications.

Read the article abstract here.

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