Manometric guidance in suction biopsy of the esophagus in children.

Esophageal histological observation is the most reliable indicator of esophagitis. Biopsy specimens obtained by endoscopic grasp forceps are sometimes inadequate for histologic evaluation, and established methods for determining the location of suction biopsies have been imprecise or inconvenient. A method was developed employing manometric control to locate the site of suction biopsies performed with the Quinton multipurpose suction biopsy instrument. With the use of this technique, biopsies were performed in 40 children without failure and without complication.