Barrett-Schleimhaut und Neoplasie

Barrett’s mucosa is a histological diagnosis, since goblet cells must be present in the histological assessment of biopsies. Barrett’s mucosa is already a metaplasia; therefore, the classic criteria for neoplasia in the gastrointestinal tract may not always be easy to apply and reactive changes can be difficult to distinguish from neoplasia in individual cases. In this article, the background for the histological diagnosis is presented such that the clinical expectations of the pathology report correspond to the histopathological possibilities. This interaction is further intensified when everyone involved is aware of the circumstances and the background is clear, thus, possibly resulting in additional options arising to assess further therapeutic procedures.