[Barrett's syndrome (author's transl)].

Barrett's syndrome is a rare serious ulcerative inflammation of the middle or distal parts of esophagus, characterized by heterotopic gastric mucosa within the esophagus. In 4 cases, diagnosis of Barrett's syndrome suspected by means of x-ray examination was confirmed endoscopically and by taking biopsies under vision. The etiology of the disease is not clear. Alcoholism is common. In our patients, conservative treatment has been used without a great deal of benefit. Only by resection of the parts of esophagus lined by columnar epithelium a beneficial result can be expected, this surgical procedure certainly being a high risk.