Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (HALO-RFA) of the metaplastic mucosa in patients with Barrett's esophagus. The first Hungarian experience

Introduction: Barrett's esophagus is the precancerous lesion of esophageal adenocarcinoma. If dysplasia is present the risk for developing a cancer is further increased. Since medical therapies can only slow down the progression, and the conventional ablative techniques (mucosectomy, argon plasma coagulation) have well known limitations (buried glands, stricture formation) new methods are needed to stop the histological progression and to restore the physiological squamous lining of the esophagus. Initial experiences with the recently developed HALO-RFA seem to provide superior results compared to the convention…