Investigation of Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia in Children According to the Current Sidney System: Single Centre Experience

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the occurrence of intestinal metaplasia in pediatric patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and its clinical implications. Methods: A retrospective evaluation was conducted on the endoscopy and pathology reports of 1280 patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal system endoscopy for various indications at the Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic of XX University Faculty of Medicine Hospital from January 2019 to December 2022. The study included 66 cases that were diagnosed with intestinal metaplasia based on the histopathological examination of biopsy samples. Results: Among the patients, 37 (56.1%) were female and 29 (43.9%) were male. The mean age for females was 12.92±4.297 years (ranging from 1 to 17 years), while for males it was 12.07±4.765 years (ranging from 2 to 17 years). The average number of endoscopies performed was 1.66 times (ranging from 1 to 5 times). The top three indications for endoscopy included abdominal pain, growth retardation, and suspicion of celiac disease. Detection of H. Pilori positivity was observed in 67.1% of cases. Conclusion: While Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia is uncommon in childhood, it should not be disregarded due to its associated risk. It is important to remember that endoscopic biopsies may not provide sufficient diagnostic information in cases involving patchy involvement or diseases affecting the submucosa or deeper layers.