Linked Color Imaging of Barrett’s Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: Effects on Visibility

Abstract

Since linked color imaging (LCI) has been reported to increase the color differences in Barrett’s esophageal adenocarcinoma (BA) compared to white light imaging (WLI), a comparison of the visibility scores of various imaging techniques for BA is warranted to determine best practice standards. This study is to clarify the role of LCI, blue light imaging (BLI), and WLI in the evaluation of BA. A group of 19 endoscopists, comprised of 6 experts and 13 trainees, evaluated the visibility of WLI, BLI, and LCI images in 21 superficial BA cases. Visibility scores were compared between WLI, BLI, and LCI. Visibility scores were also evaluated for lesion morphology, background Barrett’s mucosa, and circumferential location. The visibility scores of experts and trainees were analyzed for comparison. The visibility scores of LCI and BLI were 3.83 and 3.31, respectively, compared to three points for WLI. The visibility of LCI was better than that of WLI regardless of lesion morphology, color, background Barrett’s mucosa, and circumferential location. The LCI improved visibility in BA more than the WLI for both experts and trainees. LCI improved the visibility of BA independent of lesion morphology, color, background Barrett’s mucosa, circumferential location, and the endoscopist’s experience.