Background/aims: Mucosa marking targeting biopsy (MTB) technique has been tested and verified in animal model. For multi-focal atrophic gastritis, random biopsy may miss the point of atrophy, intestinal metaplasia or dysplasia. In order to monitor chronic atrophic gastritis on gastroscopy, get the proper biopsy sample is very important.
Methodology: Fifty-three atrophic gastritis patients were enrolled prospectively in this study. India ink was tattooed at five points of stomach. Endoscopy was repeated at 3, 9, 15 and 24 months.
Results: Tattoos (96.2%) produced with 1:10 concertrations were visible with a good to excellent tattoo persistence at 3 months. Only two patients (3.8%) had poor tattoo persistence and were retattooed at 3-months interval. Tattoos did not disappear in patients who repeated for more than two gastroscopies at 24 months or even long. There were no complications related to India ink tattooing including abdominal pain, bleeding or perforation. At follow-up gastroscopy, no ulcers, inflammation, break in the mucosa, or pain was noted.
Conclusions: Clinical use of MTB technique is safe and persistence and may be used as an effective method for longitudinal follow-up in atrophic gastritis and other precancerous lesions.