FIBEROPTIC VISUAL DIAGNOSIS AND GASTROCAMERA PHOTOGRAPHY

Abstract

Recently gastrofiberscope has been used with increasing frequency instead of gastrocamera as routine examination of stomach. But in comparison with gastrofiberscope, gastrocamera has several important advantages. As for the view field of gastrocamera it is wider than that of gastrofiberscope and thereby all the stomach can be examined more easily. Additionally, film reading is more objective and exact with gastrocamera.
The purposes of the present study are to compare visual finding with film reading from the point of view of diagnostic accuracy and to consider the importance of gastrocamera in the training of endoscopists.
In summary, we made a comparative study between visual finding and gastrocamera film reading in 100 random cases with some gastric pathology respectively. Visual oversight occured in 44% of the total cases, and was decreased in frequency according to experience of the examiner. For instance it was 29% in Group I (examiner over 8 years), 60% in Group II (3-8 years) and 42 % in Group III (less than 3 years) . Gastric ulcer scar was the most difficult to recognize even under direct vision. Over-sight was seen in 65% among them and also decreased according to the experience. For the beginers, lesser curvature of the angulus was the favorite site where over-sight incidency was most frequent.
Visual over-reading occured in 6% and film miss-reading occured in one case (1%) .
Gastrocamera photography and gastrofiberscopy should be combined together for detection of the lesion and for training of endoscopists.