Observer Variation in the Endoscopic Diagnosis of Esophageal Varices

Abstract

DURING the past fifteen years esophagoscopy has become one of the standard technics for the diagnosis of esophageal varices.1 2 3 4 5 By virtue of its direct visualization of the esophagus, esophagoscopy is often considered to be the most reliable means of establishing the diagnosis of esophageal varices.1 , 2 , 5 A recent, objective comparison of esophagoscopic and radiologic examinations in the diagnosis of esophageal varices, however, demonstrated that these technics disagreed with each other in approximately a fourth of the patients studied.6 Furthermore, the 3 participating radiologists in that study differed with each other's interpretations in about 20 per cent of the cases, and with . . .