The Minimally Invasive 1-Hour Esophageal String Test Monitors Therapeutic Changes in Mucosal Inflammation in Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Steven J. Ackerman, Amir F. Kagalwalla, Zhaoxing Pan, Joshua B. Wechsler, Kaitlin Keeley, Nirmala Gonsalves, Ikuo Hirano, Angelika Zalewski, Paul Menard‐Katcher, Calies Menard‐Katcher, Sandeep Kumar Gupta, Nikhil Chauhan, Milica Grozdanović, Dan Atkins, Nathalie Nguyen, Glenn T. Furuta
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Endoscopy, standard-of-care for monitoring eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), assesses mucosal inflammation. The Esophageal String Test (EST), a minimally invasive swallowed capsule and immunoassays, quantifies EoE inflammation. We determined whether the EST/EoEScore can monitor disease in patients undergoing treatment. METHODS: Thirty-three samples from 14 patients with EoE (7 children, 7 adults) who underwent repeat endoscopies and ESTs were studied. Biopsies were analyzed for peak eosinophil counts; ESTs were analyzed for EoEScores. RESULTS: Eosinophil counts and EoEScores significantly correlated during treatment, distinguishing patients with active EoE from treatment-associated remissions for 93.9% of ESTs performed. DISCUSSION: The EST can be used to longitudinally monitor responses to treatment in EoE.