Confocal endomicroscopy

Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a novel technique that allows in vivo microscopic imaging of the gastrointestinal mucosa. CLE has been used to study many gastrointestinal disorders, including Barrett's esophagus (BE), gastrointestinal neoplasia, and inflammatory bowel disease. There are two endomicroscopy systems currently used, an endoscope-based system (eCLE) and a probe-based system (pCLE), each with different strengths and weaknesess. This article discusses the current technique for performing endomicroscopy as it is applied for evaluation of patients with BE and compares the two available systems. Learning endomicroscopy requires technical mastery to obtain stable images and cognitive mastery of endomicroscopy image interpretation.