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BackgroundGuidelines give robust recommendations on which biopsies should be taken when there is endoscopic suggestion of gastric inflammation. Adherence to these guidelines often seems arbitrary. This study aimed to give an overview on current practice in tertiary referral centres across Europe.MethodsData were collected at 10 tertiary referral centres. Demographic data, the indication for each procedure, endoscopic findings, and the number and sampling site of biopsies were recorded. Findings were compared between centres, and factors influencing the decision to take biopsies were explored.ResultsBiopsies were taken in 56.6% of 9,425 procedures, with significant variation between centres (p < 0.001). Gastric biopsies were taken in 43.8% of all procedures. Sampling location varied with the procedure indication (p < 0.001) without consistent pattern across the centres. Fewer biopsies were taken in centres which routinely applied the updated Sydney classification for gastritis assessment (46.0%), compared to centres where this was done only upon request (75.3%, p < 0.001). This was the same for centres stratifying patients according to the OLGA system (51.8 vs. 73.0%, p < 0.001). More biopsies were taken in centres following the MAPS guidelines on stomach surveillance (68.1 vs. 37.1%, p < 0.001). Biopsy sampling was more likely in younger patients in 8 centres (p < 0.05), but this was not true for the whole cohort (p = 0.537). The percentage of procedures with biopsies correlated directly with additional costs charged in case of biopsies (r = 0.709, p = 0.022).ConclusionAdherence to guideline recommendations for biopsy sampling at gastroscopy was inconsistent across the participating centres. Our data suggest that centre-specific policies are applied instead.

Original publication

DOI

10.1159/000511867

Type

Journal article

Journal

Digestive diseases (Basel, Switzerland)

Publication Date

01/2021

Volume

39

Pages

179 - 189

Addresses

Translational Gastroenterology Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom, jan.bornschein@ouh.nhs.uk.

Keywords

ENIGMA: European Network for the Investigation of Gastrointestinal Mucosal Alterations, Humans, Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal, Biopsy, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Middle Aged, Referral and Consultation, Europe, Female, Male, Young Adult, Tertiary Care Centers