Questions About Endoscopy

[Bis-quit]

Hello everyone, I had my endoscopy done this past monday, and of course won't have results for a while. But I do have a couple questions you all might be able to answer in the meantime.

First, can the doctor see any evidence with the endscopic exam that would indicate celiac, or is it strictly seen only thru the biopsy?

Second, the endoscopy showed an irregular z-line, is this something that some people "just have," or is it a sign of something else?

Thanks all

[mushroom]

If the damage is severe enough it can be seen through the scope; normally it needs to be examined under the microscope.

I have no idea what an irregular z-line is, sorry.

[Roda]

Here is a quote from this link:

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Hiatus and Z-line

At this level, two landmarks should be specifically assessed: the integrity of the gastroesophageal junction (Z-line) and the diaphragmatic hiatus. The Z-line marks the transition of the columnar gastric epithelium (reddish colour) to the squamous esophageal epithelium (whitish-pink colour). It is visualized both in an antegrade fashion as well as during retroflexion in the stomach (Fig. 5). The Z-line should be at the same level as the diaphragm or a bit below (Fig. 6). It is usually a distinct line, but it can be irregular or exhibit small ectopic islands of reddish mucosa above it. The endoscope traverses the esophagogastric junction easily upon air insufflation; resistance to passage or friability implies disease (i.e. stricture). The gastroesophageal junction should remain closed unless swallowing occurs or air is insufflated through the endoscope. Persistence of a patulous junction is abnormal and implies the presence of reflux.

In contrast, sometimes the gastroesophageal junction is difficult to evaluate because the mucosal folds converge excessively. This is not a feature of GERD but it can be seen in patients after fundoplication (rosette formation). Rarely, in older individuals with thoracic aortic dilation, an extrinsic compression of the distal esophagus is seen just above the diaphragmatic orifice and it should not be misinterpreted as a stricture. At this point, it is also important to measure the distance