Advances in endoscopic imaging of the esophagus.

The introduction of flexible fiberoptic endoscopy in the 1960s was a major step forward in the diagnosis and management of various esophageal disorders. Since then, there has been steady progress in the development of novel gastrointestinal endoscopy techniques. Magnification and high-resolution endoscopy, chromoendoscopy, narrow-band imaging, autofluorescence imaging, and confocal laser endomicroscopy are some of the recent advances that have shown promise in the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett's esophagus, and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent advances in endoscopic imaging of the esophagus and their practical application for the gastroenterologist.