BACKGROUND/AIMS: Atrophic gastritis (AG) and intestinal metaplasia (IM) are commonly encountered pathologic conditions during gastroscopy in Korea. These conditions were considered as pre-neoplastic lesions in many previous studies. Management and follow-up of these lesions have been performed arbitrarily since there are no standard guidelines. The aim of this study was to investigate the endoscopists' opinions on these conditions using web-based survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An e-mail based survey composed of 22 questionnaires related to the clinical and endoscopic management of AG and IM was performed. RESULTS: These questionnaires were e-mailed to 495 endoscopists and replies were obtained from 168 endoscopists. IM was more commonly diagnosed by histologic evaluation regardless of position, patient care, and experience. Most endoscopists recommended follow up endoscopy annually in IM compared to a 2 year interval in AG. Less experienced endoscopists and endoscopists caring hospitalized patients tended to not eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with AG and IM. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopists approach to the patients with AG and IM differred according to their position, patient care, and experience. We need new guidelines for the surveillance and management of AG and IM in Korea.
Electronic Mail ; Endoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastritis, Atrophic* ; Gastroscopy ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Korea ; Metaplasia* ; Patient Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The AIMS65 score has not been sufficiently validated in Korea. The objective of this study was to compare the AIMS65 and other scoring systems for the prediction of various clinical outcomes in Korean patients with acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB). METHODS: The AIMS65 score, clinical and full Rockall scores (cRS and fRS) and Glasgow-Blatchford (GBS) score were calculated in patients with NVUGIB in a single center retrospectively. The performance of these scores for predicting mortality, rebleeding, transfusion requirement, and endoscopic intervention was assessed by calculating the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: Of the 523 patients, 3.4% died within 30 days, 2.5% experienced rebleeding, 40.0% required endoscopic intervention, and 75.7% needed transfusion. The AIMS65 score was useful for predicting the 30-day mortality, the need for endoscopic intervention and for transfusion. The fRS was superior to the AIMS65, GBS, and cRS for predicting endoscopic intervention and the GBS was superior to the AIMS65, fRS, and cRS for predicting the transfusion requirement. CONCLUSIONS: The AIMS65 score was useful for predicting the 30-day mortality, transfusion requirement, and endoscopic intervention in Korean patients with acute NVUGIB. However, it was inferior to the GBS and fRS for predicting the transfusion requirement and endoscopic intervention, respectively.
Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Korea ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies