Non-Endoscopic Surveillance for Barrett's Esophagus Following Ablative Therapy

The Cytosponge is a simple, non-endoscopic device developed for endoscopic screening of subjects at risk for Barrett's esophagus (BE) by investigators at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. The Cytosponge is an ingestible gelatin capsule enclosing a compressed spherical polyurethane mesh sponge of 3 cm diameter, the center of which is attached to a string (Astralen, braided synthetic non-absorbable suture) (Figure 1). The capsule and string are swallowed with water. The string is held at the mouth without tension by means of a 7 cm cardboard tab attached to the string, and esophageal peristalsis and gravity move the capsule into the stomach. After 5 to 7 minutes (during which the gelatin capsule dissolves and the sponge is liberated), the sponge is withdrawn by gentle traction on the string and as it does so, collects cells from the lining of the esophagus. The sponge is placed in fixative for 48 hours, then the cells are pelleted, and processed into paraffin blocks