Table 1.

Endoscopic findings

Endoscopic feature	Comment
Edema	Mucosal pallor or decreased vascularity. Best assessed either real-time or with video assessment. Vascular markings are diminished during esophageal contractions.
Rings	Best appreciated when esophagus is fully insufflated. May be confused with transient plications (‘feline esophagus’).
Exudates	Often track along furrows. May be confused with white plaques from Candida esophagitis secondary to topical steroid administration.
Furrows	Longitudinal lines or ‘track marks’. Blood from biopsies can fill the indentations and increase detection.
Strictures	Can be focal or diffuse. Precise determination of diameter is difficult.
Crêpe-paper esophagus	Mucosal fragility determined by sloughing or disruption resulting from passage of an endoscope.
Narrow-caliber esophagus	Difficult to appreciate with endoscopy. Better defined by barium esophagram or functional luminal imaging probe.
‘Tug’ sign	Subjective resistance or ‘stiffness’ appreciated when taking esophageal biopsies.