Published online Jun 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i22.6974
Peer-review started: September 21, 2014
First decision: October 19, 2014
Revised: December 3, 2014
Accepted: January 21, 2015
Article in press: January 21, 2015
Published online: June 14, 2015
Processing time: 270 Days and 18.6 Hours
Core tip: The aim of the present study was to determine the diagnostic potential of confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) combined with Lugol’s iodine chromoendoscopy in detecting superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN). Lugol’s chromoendoscopy-guided CLE was performed in 52 enrolled patients. In the same patients, chromoendoscopy-guided biopsy was performed by another endoscopist. A comparison of the detection rates between the CLE finding and biopsy was performed. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of chromoendoscopy-guided CLE were 95.7%, 90%, 81.8% and 97.8%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the detection of dysplasia between chromoendoscopy-guided CLE and biopsy. Lugol’s chromoendoscopy-guided CLE is a real-time, non-invasive endoscopic diagnostic technology; the accuracy of the detection of superficial ESCN is equivalent to or may be superior to biopsy histology.