Endoscopic submucosal dissection of non-polypoid colorectal neoplasms.

Traditionally, endoscopic mucosal resection and surgery were the only available treatments for large colorectal tumors, even for those detected at an early stage. The endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) technique, which enables en-bloc resection of large tumors, is accepted as a standard minimally invasive treatment for early gastric cancer in Japan. This article explains in detail how ESD is performed and compares it with endoscopic mucosal resection. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.